Dying Embers
by TheGameIsOn97
Summary: SEQUEL TO "THE POND TWINS": Sometimes the universe's greatest mystery... is the person right next to you. In other words, the Doctor and Lexi set off on an epic journey... that could cost them everything. (FULL SUMMARY INSIDE!)
1. Summary

**_Sometimes the universe's greatest mystery... is the person right next to you._**

~o0o~

Twenty five years have passed since the Weeping Angels took Manhattan and heartlessly snatched Amy and Rory away, sending them to their deaths. After that fateful day, the Couple of Time took their two little ones and went and raised them as normally as they could. No traveling (for the most part). No monster chases. No life or death situations. Just a life hidden away where no one knew who any of them truly were.

All that changes on Christmas Eve 1892 as the snow falling in Victorian London becomes the stuff of fairy-tales. But when the fairy-tale becomes a nightmare and a chilling menace threatens Earth, an unorthodox governess, Clara, and an adventurous tutor, Lucas, call on "The Doctor" and "The Glorious" for help. But the Couple of Time is finally feeling the full force of their loss now that their children are grown and don't need them as much as they used to when they were little. The Doctor and Lexi have become a bit reclusive and are determined not to engage in the problems of the universe. The same cannot be said for the Time Twins, Jupiter and Sky, who sneak out of the TARDIS every chance they can get. Will the Doctor and the Glorious really abandon humankind or will they fight to save the world? What will they do when they fail to save the two people who convinced them to finally get off their cloud?

The clever boy and the glorious girl begin running again.

The Doctor and Lexi kick off their new run of adventures by searching for their companions Clara and Lucas.

• An Impossible Girl whom the Doctor has already lost twice.

• And an Impossible Man whom Lexi has already lost four times.

Believe me, the Glorious will stop at nothing to finally figure out just exactly who her Impossible Man is. And the Doctor is right there with her with the mystery of his Impossible Girl. They'll do whatever it takes to find and protect their Impossibles with everything they've got.

The action grows and the Doctor's oldest secret threatens to be revealed as Trenzalore approaches.

Will the Couple of Time prevail? Or will they fall to the clutches of whatever fate has in-store for them?

~o0o~

 ** _In other words, the Doctor and Lexi set off on an epic journey... that could cost them everything._**


	2. Jupiter and Sky's Timeline

**A/N: Remember when I did this in the other book ( _The Pond Twins_ )? Well, this is basically the same thing.**

* * *

• (7x06) ~ **The Snowmen**

AND

• (7x07) ~ **The Bells of Saint John**

– Sky and Jupiter are both in these episodes (obviously) because they're just getting started.

{And then they'll both leave at the end of " _The Bells of Saint John_ ".}

• (7x09) ~ **Cold War**

– Sky will have recently come from " _(7x02): Dinosaurs on a Spaceship_ ".

{He'll leave at the end of the episode.}

• (7x10) ~ **Hide**

– Jupiter will have recently come from " _(6x09): Night Terrors_ ".

{She'll stick around for the next episode.}

• (7x11) ~ **Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS**

– Jupiter will have stuck around since " _(7x10): Hide_ " and Sky will have recently come from " _(6x07): A Good Man Goes to War_ ".

{Sky and Jupiter will both leave at the end of the episode.}

• (7x14) ~ **The Name of the Doctor**

– Sky and Jupiter will both have recently come from " _(6x13): The Wedding of Alexis Pond_ ".

{They'll both leave at the end of this episode.}

50th Anniversary Special

• **The Day of the Doctor**

– Sky and Jupiter will both have recently come from " _(7x05): The Angels Take Manhattan_ ".

* * *

 **A/N: There ya go!**

 **The prologue is in progress and I will get it done and published as soon as I can.**

 **Until then! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	3. The Family of Time (Prologue)

**A/N: Hello! *waves while grinning like a madwoman***

 **I can't believe we're at the beginning of the 2nd book of The Glorious Series!**

 **I would've gotten this chapter published sooner, but there's this thing called sleep and I kinda needed it. And there's also this food called pizza and I wanted some of that as well. I also found the documentary series where Benedict Cumberbatch can't say 'penguins' on Netflix. It's called "South Pacific". Anyway, it's not just penguins. It's about all the South Pacific. And I just like listening to Benedict's voice as he narrates.**

 **OH! And I had to fangirl over the new 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special trailer!**

 **Anyway, I would just like to welcome y'all to the journey that we're all about to embark on. ️ And I hope that you guys enjoy yourselves because I know I will enjoy myself when I write everything that's about to come.**

 **Now, with that said, say hello to our Family of Time!**

 **P.S. ~ I listened to "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur when I wrote this! Like seriously, that song gives me so many Doctor and Lexi fluffy feels. Especially for this chapter! 💕**

 **Get ready for nearly 7,700 words of some serious domestic fluff! Which is something our character hardly ever get. ;)**

 **So...**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Kitchen_...

"Now, let's try this again." The Doctor said as he sat in a chair in front of babies Sky and Jupiter as they were sitting in their highchairs, being just a bit mischievous by not eating the baby food that their father was attempting to feed them.

Little Sky stuck his tongue out as his sister grabbed a handful of sweet potatoes that had fallen on the highchair-tray in front of her before throwing them in their father's face.

"And it's a no on the sweet potatoes." The Doctor sighed, grabbing the dish towel he already had on-hand before wiping the sweet potatoes from his face.

Lexi giggled from where she stood behind the kitchen counter by the stove as she made lunch for herself and the Doctor.

"I think it's a matter of finding at least one thing that they'll actually want to eat." Lexi shrugged as she cut up some tomatoes.

"Actually, I think they're just doing what they're doing to cause trouble." The Doctor told her before giving a look to their two children, only to then have another handful of sweet potatoes thrown in his face, this time by Sky. The Doctor closed his eyes in slight frustration, using the dish towel to wipe his face clean again before looking back to Lexi. "See what I mean?"

Lexi just smiled and shook her head before bringing her and the Doctor's plates over to the table.

"They're six month old babies, what do you expect them to do?" She raised an eyebrow at her husband before taking a bite of sliced up tomato and cucumber.

"At least cooperate a little bit." The Doctor pleaded, looking back to the twins. "Please, come on, you can understand me. Please just eat."

The two 6 month olds looked at each other almost as if they were having a telepathic conversation before they both looked back to their father and opened their mouths.

"Thank you." The Doctor sighed before continuing to spoon feed his children.

Lexi couldn't help but smile at her children as she watched them eat spoonful after spoonful of puréed sweet potatoes and smiling after each bite, making the Doctor smile as well.

Family life was... getting just a little bit better.

 _A little later, Inside, TARDIS, Lounge_...

Tinkering away with the sonic, the Doctor now sat on the sofa in the lounge room the TARDIS had so graciously conjured up for them.

Babies Sky and Jupiter were laid on a blanket in the middle of the floor as they just kinda rolled around on their backs, grabbing at a few random stuffed animals that were scattered around them.

The Doctor glanced up from tinkering with the sonic to check on the twins. He smiled slightly when he saw the babies softly fighting over a small stuffed elephant. You know, not really fighting over it to where it would make one of them actually cry, but just enough to where they'd want to keep going until one of them won.

The Doctor gave them one last look before looking back down to keep messing with the sonic.

It wasn't until about a minute later that the Doctor looked back up to check on the twins again, only to see that they had vacated the blanket and were nowhere in sight.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he quickly stood up, glancing all around. He didn't think they'd just run off on him like that. I mean, they hadn't even crawled yet for the first time.

The Doctor started looking all around the lounge, tossing pillows off the sofa as if that would help. He looked behind the sofa, under the coffee table, behind the television. Even behind an oversized armchair that was on the far side of the room.

"Um... Lex!" The Doctor shouted nervously. "I seem to have misplaced our children!"

"You did what?!" She exclaimed as she entered the room from having walked down the corridor.

"Just try to calm down, dearest, we are still in the TARDIS." He said, trying to appease her worry. "I'm sure they're safe. Just... missing."

"Oh yeah, that's reassuring." Lexi rolled her eyes before she began looking for the twins. "Sky! Jupiter! Where are you? You know, this would be a really good time for your actual first words!"

"I agree with your Mum! Come on, you two!" The Doctor called out.

The Doctor and Lexi searched through the lounge room for a few more minutes before hearing something coming from a room just across the corridor.

"How did they manage to get out of the lounge room without you noticing?" Lexi questioned him as they went to investigate the noise.

"They're so quiet." He told her as they walked out into the corridor. "I mean, I feel bad that I didn't see them crawl out of the room, but I know the TARDIS will look out for them. She cares for them as well. She'd move things around so they wouldn't get hurt."

Lexi just shook her head before looking to the door that was there in front of them, just now noticing that it was their bedroom door.

"Why would they be in here?" Lexi whispered as she opened the door a little, she and the Doctor poking their heads in to see that the twins had somehow crawled up onto the bed and were now messing up the blankets and throwing the pillows onto the floor.

 _Inside, TARDIS, The Doctor and Lexi's bedroom_...

The two 6 months old looked to the door when they heard it open, eyes brightening when they saw their parents watching them curiously.

"Ma!" Little Sky shouted clear as day, raising his arms up into the air.

"Da!" Little Jupiter squealed, extending her arms out towards the Doctor.

Lexi gasped before a big smile crossed her face as she quickly made her way over to the bed, scooping Sky up into her arms as the Doctor did the same with Jupiter.

"That's right, Sky." Lexi smiled, kissing the top of her son's head. "I'm your Mummy."

"You're making your dear old Dad very proud right now, my Angel." The Doctor smiled, kissing Jupiter's forehead.

"I'm glad you're both okay." Lexi commented as she hugged Sky close to her, said baby boy laying his head on her shoulder.

"Maybe try and give your parents warning next time you go off on a little adventure, eh?" The Doctor chuckled, holding Jupiter in his arms as he walked over to where Lexi stood as she held Sky.

Lexi smiled, kissing little Jupiter on the cheek as she laid her little head on the Doctor's shoulder.

"You know..." Lexi thought out loud as she looked back and forth between the two 6 month olds. "I think a couple of someone's are getting tired. How about we give them a bath and put them to bed?"

"Probably a good idea." The Doctor agreed with a slight smile as he heard Jupiter let out a little yawn.

 _Later_...

"Twins are down and finally asleep." The Doctor announced, entering his and Lexi's room before going about getting ready for bed himself.

Lexi hummed in acknowledgment, not looking up from the book she was reading. She then sighed and closed the book before setting it on the nightstand and laying down on her left side.

"Love." The Doctor sighed as he got into bed behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. He then rested his chin on her shoulder as he looked down at her face. "Dear, please tell me what's going on."

"It's been two months." She replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she snuggled back against him. "It's been two months and I still don't feel any different."

"I know, love." The Doctor whispered back, giving her a kiss on the cheek before running his hand down her arm and intertwining his fingers with hers. "I wish there was more I could for you."

Lexi smiled sadly before turning over so she could face him.

She gave him a peck on the lips. "You're doing just fine. You're helping me with the twins, and you're being there for me. That's all I can ask of you."

"It's my job." He gave her a small smile, giving her a peck on the lips. "I am your husband. I want to do all that I can to ensure that you and our children are as happy as you can be."

"You're too good to me." She smiled slightly, snuggling into his chest. "But, speaking of our kids, what are we going to do? I mean, we've been floating around the time vortex for the past couple of months. Our children can't spend their whole childhoods in the TARDIS."

"You're right about that." The Doctor agreed as he mindlessly ran his fingers through her hair.

"I mean, don't get me wrong." Lexi continued. "I love the TARDIS. I love Idris. Without her, I wouldn't have you. But, I don't want Sky and Jupiter to be cooped up in here their whole lives. It's just... I don't know." She sighed. "What do you think we should do?"

"Well..." The Doctor trailed off, actually thinking about a solution of how they could make this decision. "You know, we could go to Earth. Raise them as normally as possible. I mean, if we really want to keep them safe, then we should... live somewhere where that can happen."

Lexi pulled back from him slightly to look at his face. "Are you, the Doctor, actually saying that you want to... live the simple life?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Lex." He told her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want me, you, and our two children to be a family. Our kids didn't exactly ask to be brought into this universe, so I think we owe it to them to give them a safe and happy upbringing. You know, have them go to school and everything. A family vacation here and there."

"I think you're right." Lexi agreed softly before laying her head on his chest. "I never thought we'd actually go and do that, but I suppose it makes sense. I really like the picture you're painting of our life."

"Thank you." The Doctor smiled. "And I think it does, too." He agreed, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as she laid her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "We just have to decide on where and when to settle. What about London?"

"London's good." Lexi nodded slightly. "We know the area very well. Wouldn't be too hard to adjust to life there. I mean, I have lived there before. Now the question is 'when'?"

"What about 1981?" The Doctor suggested.

"1981... I suppose that sounds alright." Lexi thought out loud. "I mean, it's an interesting year. Prince Charles marries Diana. The first London marathon is run. The wreck of the Titanic is found..."

"You know a lot about History." The Doctor commented.

Lexi couldn't help but smirk. a little. "Yeah, well, look who I'm married to."

"It's settled then." He smirked back as he tilted her chin up a bit and leaned down slightly to press a soft kiss to her lips before pulling away slightly. "Tomorrow we'll go find a place in 1981's London and just plant our family there."

Lexi giggled. "Now, you're absolutely sure about this?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have agreed with you and suggested we go to Earth." The Doctor replied.

"Okay..." She nodded slowly before a thought occurred to her, making her prop herself up on her elbow to be able to look at her husband more directly. "If we're going to live on Earth and keep our children safe, shouldn't we use aliases? I mean, no offense, but you know a lot of people. Suppose word gets around. You don't want anyone to come looking for you, right?"

"That is the last thing I want." He sighed closing his eyes as he thought. "You're right about people knowing me... I don't want to use the name John Smith. I've used that already, quite a few times."

"Well, if you want, you could still use the name John. Just pick a different last name." Lexi told him. "Oh, and I don't really wanna use my last name either. Not that I don't like it. I love it, in fact. I just feel that if we're going to be having a life where no one knows who we truly are, then maybe we just pick a whole new last name for our family. I mean, I can still use 'Lexi', Sky and Jupiter can keep their names. I don't want to give them new names when they've barely even used their given ones. We can just pick a new surname for all of us to use for the time being."

"I think I can get onboard with that reasoning." The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "What about... 'Bay'?"

"Bay..." Lexi trailed off, seeing how the name sounded coming from her. "The Bays... John Bay, Lexi Bay, Skyler Bay and Jupiter Bay."

"I don't think it sounds bad." The Doctor commented.

"No, it doesn't." Lexi agreed. "In fact, I think I really like it."

"Well then, Mrs. Bay, why don't you and I 'celebrate' our last night before our simple life officially begins." The Doctor suggested as he grabbed the back of Lexi's neck before bringing her in for a deep kiss.

"Mm." Lexi hummed against his lips as she crawled on top of him before pulling away. She grinned, putting her hands on the pillow on either side of his head as she looked down at him. "Mr. Bay, are you trying to seduce me? 'Cause it's working."

"Ha!" He laughed before flipping the two of them over so he could hover above her. "Let's not waste time, then."

"Just shut up and kiss me." She giggled before pulling him down and attacking his lips with hers.

3 months later

 _Inside, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Lounge, 1981_...

"You know, I like it here." Lexi sighed contently as she plopped down on the sofa next to the Doctor in the living room of their Islington home.

"It is nice." He smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Not going stir-crazy?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Nah." He waved her off, glancing over at their 9 month old children as they crawled around on the living room floor. "And besides, we like taking these two little ones out for walks during the day to get them some fresh air, so that helps."

Lexi smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as they continued to watch their children crawl around on the floor.

"When do you think they'll start walking?" Lexi finally spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped them.

"You know..." The Doctor trailed off as he leaned forward, examine the twins closely. "That is a good question."

"I started walking when I was seven months old." Lexi informed him.

"Really?" He glanced at her, surprised.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I completely skipped crawling."

They both then looked back to their children, seeing that Sky was actually crawling towards the coffee table. They watched him carefully to be sure he didn't hurt himself, both of them smiling wide as they watched him grab onto the edge of the coffee table and pull himself up into a standing position.

"That's very good, Sky." Lexi grinned, getting on her knees before going to the other side of the coffee table to be behind her son in case he fell backwards.

"Do you want to try walking?" The Doctor questioned as Jupiter crawled over to him. He went and sat down on the floor before opening his arms as she crawled into his lap.

Lexi took hold of little Sky and helped turn him around to face her before backing up a little.

"Come on, Sky. Come to Mummy." Lexi smiled reassuringly as she motioned for little Sky to try and step towards her.

The 9 month old little boy looked down at the ground before wearily putting one foot in front of the other and taking a step forward. He gingerly repeated the step, stumbling a bit but not actually falling down.

Lexi grinned, clapping excitedly as she reached her hands put towards her son, the Doctor watching proudly as he held a restless Jupiter in his arms.

Little Sky laughed as he fell forward into his mother's arms, said woman wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close.

"I'm so proud of you." Lexi whispered, kissing Sky's forehead.

Jupiter squealed, making Lexi look over in her direction to see her wiggling out of the Doctor's arms before full-on just running to where she and Sky were.

Lexi laughed as Jupiter fell against her before scrambling into her lap next to her brother.

The Doctor chuckled as he made his way over to them. "I think it's safe to say that these two will like to compete with each other."

Lexi giggled as Sky and Jupiter clambered up the front of her to wrap their little arms around her neck as the Doctor crawled up behind them, peering over Lexi's shoulder to look at their children.

The Doctor smiled, kissing the top of Jupiter's head she laid it on Lexi's shoulder.

"You know..." The Doctor began quietly as he kissed Lexi's temple. "I think the four of us are going be quite happy here."

Lexi smiled as she leaned back against him with both the twins in her arms.

"I think so, too."

5 YEARS LATER (1986)

 _Outside, Park_...

"It really is a beautiful day today, isn't it?" Lexi commented, breathing in the fresh air as she laid back on a picnic blanket next to the Doctor.

"It's a nice change from the constant rain we've been getting." The Doctor agreed, tossing a grape into his mouth before glancing over at 5 year olds Sky and Jupiter as they ran around with some of their friends from their primary school. "And I think the kids are enjoying it."

"I hope so." Lexi commented, taking a drink from her water bottle. "I've felt bad that they've been having to stay indoors all the time because of the rain. You know, when they're not in school... God, listen to how domestic I'm sounding."

The Doctor laughed, taking her hand in his as they continued to watch the children run around. "Five years with no TARDIS will do that to you."

"I thought you'd be the one to sound like how I'm sounding." Lexi chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"To tell you the truth, so did I." He responded honestly. "But, I'm glad we're doing this. It's so much better for the twins."

"I agree." Lexi sighed contently before tossing a grape into her mouth.

"John!" One of the other dads called from over by a barbecue pit.

Lexi smirked, nudging the Doctor. "Dear, that's you."

"Hm?" He glanced at her before it actually hit him. "Oh! Right, yes. I am John." He said before getting to his feet. "Coming, Richard!"

Lexi couldn't help but laugh. Even after 5 years of staying in one place, the Doctor still wasn't used to people calling him John. But hey, he made his peace with it.

"Mummy?" Jupiter asked as she walked up to where Lexi was sitting.

"Yes, my darling?" Lexi smiled, wrapping her arms around the little girl as she came to sit in her lap.

"Jackie was talking about how her and her sister just got back from holiday with their auntie and uncle." The little said, sighing with a little pout on her lips. "I'm just kinda sad that me and Sky can't do that."

"Aw, sweetheart." Lexi sighed, kissing the top of her daughter's head. "I know it's sad, but me and your Daddy have told you some stories about your Auntie and Uncle."

"Can you tell me another story?" The little girl asked, leaning back against her mother.

"Sure." She agreed, glancing over to her right to see Sky was now sitting on top of a picnic table next to where the Doctor was talking with a couple of the other dads. Lexi then looked back to her daughter as she sat in her lap, a slight smile adorning her features. "Did I ever tell about the time your father took us all to Venice?"

"Nu-uh." She shook her head.

"Well..." Lexi began. "it was the year 1580, and we met these fish-vampire girls..."

 _Later that day, Inside, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Master bedroom, Night_...

"You should've seen her little sad face when she asked to hear another story about them." Lexi sighed as she and the Doctor got ready for bed.

"What story did you tell her?" The Doctor asked as he poked his head into the bedroom from where he was in the en suite, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

"Venice in 1580." She answered as she ran a brush through her hair.

He nodded, ducking back into the en suite for a moment before re-emerging into the bedroom and walking over to the bed.

"You know, Sky did the same thing to me the other day when you and Jupiter were out grocery shopping." The Doctor informed her as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I ended up telling him the story of the seventeenth century pirates and the Siren. It's actually kinda funny, you know, since Sky's grown self was with us that trip."

"I think our children are two of the only people in the universe who are able to hear stories of things they haven't done yet and actually be completely okay with it." Lexi thought out loud as she sat on her knees on the bed, facing the Doctor. "I mean, we made it very clear to them when they started school that they couldn't exactly tell people these stories that we tell them. They know they're not exactly normal children."

"Even though they have to act like it." The Doctor pointed out.

"Yeah." Lexi nodded. "Sooner or later, though, they're gonna wanna see the TARDIS. They're going to become more curious."

"I know." The Doctor sighed, leaning back against the headboard. "Who knows when that'll be, though."

Lexi shrugged. "I suppose time will tell."

7 YEARS LATER (1993)

 _Inside, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Front hall, Morning_...

"Come on, Jupiter, Sky!" Lexi called up the stairs from she stood in the front hall by the front door. "If you don't get down here in five minutes you're going to be late for school!"

"I'm trying, Mum!" Jupiter called down to her mother. "Sky hid my jacket!"

"Skyler Rory Pond!" Lexi rolled her eyes. "You give your sister back her jacket or I'll let her pick which movie we all watch this Friday even though it's your turn."

"No!" Sky's voice shouted back. "She'll pick something she knows I hate!"

"Then give me my jacket!" Jupiter exclaimed as she ran through the upstairs hall and past the stairs.

Lexi groaned, lightly banging her head against the wall as the Doctor entered from the kitchen.

"'Pond', eh?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he handed her a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

"Force of habit." Lexi sighed, taking a sip of coffee. "I mean, we may all be 'Bays', but we're still secretly Ponds."

"And always will be." The Doctor nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Okay, I finally got him to give me my jacket back." Jupiter announced as she walked down the stairs.

"Yeah, whatever." Sky rolled his eyes as he walked down the stairs himself to join his family in the front hall.

"Alright, you two, let's go." Lexi just shook her head, opening the front door, her two 13 year olds walking outside.

"And I'll take that." The Doctor said, taking Lexi's coffee mug and going back into the kitchen to put it and his away before re-entering the front hall. "Now, let's go."

 _Outside, Coal Hill Secondary School_...

"I can't believe I'm back here." The Doctor whispered to Lexi as they walked their children to the front gates of the school.

"It has been a while for you, hasn't it." Lexi smiled, taking his hand.

"Come on, Sky. They're being all cutesy again." Jupiter sighed, tugging on her brother's arm.

"No argument from me." Sky agreed quickly.

"You two be good today!" Lexi called out to then a little louder than necessary.

"Oh, God, let's go." Jupiter said as she and Sky started walking fast away from their parents.

The Doctor chuckled at their children before he and Lexi began walking down the sidewalk away from the school, the two of them walking past other parents who were saying goodbye to their kids for the school day.

"So, we've been here for... almost thirteen years." The Doctor commented as Lexi looped her arm through his. "What do you think?"

"Well..." She trailed, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. "I'm... happy."

He chuckled. "Well then, mission accomplished."

"Oh, shut up." Lexi rolled her eyes playfully, lightly hitting him on the arm.

"I'm being serious." He told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk down the sidewalk alongside the street. "I think we did well. We did what was best for the twins and we made our life... good."

"Yeah..." She agreed, not being able to not smile just a tiny bit.

 _Later that same day, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Kitchen, Late afternoon_...

"We're home!" Jupiter's voice floated in from the front hall as she and Sky arrived back home from the school day.

"How was school?" Lexi called back as she was thumbing through a magazine as she sat at the kitchen island.

"Fine, I suppose." Sky sighed as he entered the kitchen, Jupiter following behind him.

"Well that doesn't sound very cheery." The Doctor commented as he entered the kitchen from the sitting room.

"It's school, Dad. What do you expect?" Jupiter said as she opened the fridge.

"In class they talked about Amelia Earhart and how it's so fascinating that no one knows where she could've possibly disappeared to." Sky informed as he sat down at the kitchen island across from his mother.

The Doctor smirked as he sat down at the kitchen island next to Sky.

"Dear..." Lexi said, eyeing her husband suspiciously. "I know that face."

"Whatever do you mean?" He questioned, folding his hands and resting his chin on them.

"You know what I mean." She told him seriously.

"Yeah, Dad." Jupiter agreed as she closed the fridge, now holding a small thing of yogurt as she walked over to join her family at the kitchen island. "What's going on in that head of yours."

"Alright..." The Doctor said slowly as he folded his arm on the top of the counter, leaning forward a bit. "You know Amelia Earhart never actually disappeared. Well, officially she did, but not really."

"We kinda figured." Sky nodded as he mindlessly drummed his fingers against the counter top. "What do you suppose we do, though?"

"Doctor..." Lexi gave him a look before sighing, smiling a bit herself. "Okay... Go on."

The Doctor grinned, turning back to the twins. "Amelia Earhart didn't disappear. Do you wanna find out what actually happened?"

"Uh, yeah!" Jupiter laughed.

"Alright then, everyone. To the spare bedroom!" The Doctor announced excitedly.

 _Inside, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Upstairs hallway_...

"Now, remember, this is just because I can't stand you two not knowing the truth." The Doctor informed as he unlocked the spare bedroom door, Lexi and the twins standing behind him.

 _Inside, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Spare bedroom_...

The Doctor unlocked the door, stepping inside the nearly empty room followed by his family. All of them stood there, taking in the sight of the beautiful blue box that stood before them, just waiting to be used.

"Now, kids, it's been... well, almost thirteen years since we've used the TARDIS." Lexi informed as she walked up and laid a gentle hand on the side of the TARDIS, said box letting out a soft hum of approval. "And she's kinda just been sitting here, waiting to be used again. But, you also know that we explained to you both why we haven't used her."

"But, also like I said," The Doctor began. "It irritates me just a bit when you tell me some of the things they teach you in your history classes. They just get it wrong all the time."

Sky sniggered. "Well, you are also quite literally the only person in existence who would be able to show us what actually happened."

"Yes I am." The Doctor smiled before looking to Lexi. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Lexi grinned, raising her hand slightly before snapping her fingers, making the TARDIS doors swing open.

"And just so we're clear." The Doctor began as he stepped into the TARDIS, looking to the twins. "We are only using this to show you the parts of history that your teachers get wrong."

"Okay, we get it." Jupiter clapped her hands excitedly. "Now, can we go?"

"After you." Lexi motioned for the twins to go first, said kids rushing between her and the Doctor and into the blue box.

The Doctor looked to Lexi and smirked. "Geronimo."

5 YEARS LATER (1998)

 _Outside, Train station_...

"I can't believe my babies are going off to university." Lexi teared up as she brought her children in for a hug.

"Mum, we're eighteen." Jupiter giggled as she and Sky hugged their mother.

"I don't care." She sniffled as they pulled away. "You'll always be my babies."

"We're only going to be an hour and a half away." Sky told her, adjusting his duffle bag on his shoulder.

"Don't question her." The Doctor sighed as he walked up to them. "She already cried her eyes last night. Just let her vent."

"Oh, hush." Lexi rolled her eyes before turning back to their children. "Now, you call as soon as you get settled."

"We will." Jupiter assured before hugging the Doctor. "Goodbye, Dad."

The Doctor put a hand to the back of her head as he hugged her close. "Goodbye, my Angel. We'll come up and visit in a few weeks."

"You better." She pointed a finger at him in warning as she pulled away from him.

"We also have parting gifts for you both." The Doctor told them as he reached inside his jacket pocket. He looked back and forth to see if anyone was watching before pulling out two small boxes.

"What are these?" Sky questioned as he and Jupiter took the little boxes from their father.

"Open them." Lexi smiled.

The twins shared a look before looking down at the boxes in their hands and opening them, their eyes widening slightly when they saw what was inside.

"You didn't..." Jupiter whispered, looking back up at her parents.

"We did." Lexi nodded. "Just don't use them where anyone can see."

Sky picked up his sonic out of the box, pressing the button on the side and smiling slightly when an orange light emitted from it before he set it back in the box and closed it. Jupiter doing the same with hers.

"Thank you." Sky nodded at his parents as he carefully stuck the small box inside his jacket.

"You're welcome." The Doctor nodded back.

"Train 1101 will be departing for Cambridge in five minutes." A man's voice announced over the intercom system.

"That's us." Jupiter smiled sadly as she put away the small box that contained her sonic.

"Remember to please call us." Lexi reminded her, giving her one last hug.

"We will, Mum." She laughed, pulling away. "Promise."

"Okay." She nodded, trying not to cry anymore than she already had.

"Talk to you in a few hours, Mum." Sky assured her, giving her a kiss on the cheek before joining his sister over on the platform.

Lexi pouted, wiping away a couple of stray tears as the Doctor came over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they watched their two children board the train that would take them to the University of Cambridge.

"There they go." Lexi sighed, leaning her head on the Doctor's shoulder as they watched the train begin to roll away down the tracks.

The Doctor kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, there they go..."

 _Later that same day, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Master bedroom, Night_...

"We have an empty nest." Lexi commented as she leaned back against the headboard of her and the Doctor's bed.

"That we do." The Doctor nodded as he leaned back against the headboard right next to her. "But they did call. They said they're settling in just fine."

"I guess..." She sighed.

"And besides..." The Doctor began as turned into his side, pulling Lexi down with him. He cupped the side of her face. "With our 'empty nest', we have more time for just us."

"Mm." She hummed in agreement as he brought her in for a kiss, softly brushing his lips against hers. She smirked at him when they pulled apart. "Well then, let's put it just being the two of us to good and... pleasurable use."

"There's the Lexi I know." The Doctor grinned, once again brushing his lips against hers as he rolled the two of them over so he could be on top of her.

6 YEARS LATER (2004)

 _Outside, University of Cambridge, Afternoon_...

"Where do you think they'll be?" Lexi wondered as she and the Doctor walked arm-in-arm past a bunch of people who were waiting to congratulate their loved ones who had just graduated.

"They should be out here any minute now." The Doctor said, looking around, not paying too close attention to where he was stepping until he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir."

"Oh, it's quite alright." An older man said as he turned around to face him. "Hello. I'm Ian. Ian Chesterton."

"Oh, my God..." Lexi whispered, squeezing the Doctor's arm a bit tighter. She had seen memories of a one Mr. Ian Chesterton and Miss Barbara Wright whenever she had walked through the Doctor's mind after they had gotten married.

The Doctor kinda stood there for a moment before snapping out of it, clearing his throat before shaking the man's hand. "John. John Bay. And this is my wife Lexi."

Lexi smiled at the man, shaking his hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Chesterton."

"You as well." He smiled at her before their attention was brought to the sound of people cheering and clapping as the graduating class walked outside.

"Excuse us." The Doctor said, taking Lexi hand before they quickly walked away from Ian.

"Who was that, dear?" Mrs. Barbara Chesterton asked as she walked up to her husband.

Ian glanced in one direction, seeing the Doctor and Lexi disappear into the sea of people before he turned back to his wife.

"Just a young couple that are here for a graduate, I suppose."

 _With the Doctor and Lexi_...

"There they are!" Lexi pointed as they saw Sky and Jupiter walking in their direction, clad in their graduation caps and gowns.

"Mum!" Jupiter grinned excitedly as she rushed up to her, hugging her tight.

"I'm so proud of you." Lexi whispered sincerely before pulling away from her daughter.

"Come here, you," The Doctor told Sky, embracing him and patting him on the back before pulling away. "So, how does it feel?"

"Amazing." Jupiter smiled wide.

"Well, it ought to, Miss I Now Have A Masters In Criminology." Lexi giggled.

"What about you?" The Doctor asked Sky.

"Oh, you should've seen the look on my professor's face when I handed in my last short story." Sky chuckled.

"Oh, God..." Jupiter rolled her eyes. "You know what he wrote?"

"What?" Lexi raised an eyebrow.

"He wrote a 'fictionalized' version of the time that all of us went and met Winston Churchill." Jupiter said, shooting a look at her brother.

"What can I say?" Sky shrugged. "Everyone loves a good story of Winston Churchill introducing a family of time travelers to King George VI before all of them have dinner together as they look at the London Blitz happening just outside."

"And that's why you now have a Masters in Creative Writing." Lexi giggled as she hugged her son. "I'm so proud of you, my little Sunbeam."

"Oh, God, not the Sunbeam name again." Sky groaned, making Lexi giggle as they pulled away from each other.

"You'll always be my Sunbeam, Sky." Lexi grinned.

"So!" Jupiter clapped her hands together. "Late lumch, anyone?"

"I could eat." The Doctor shrugged before slinging his arm over Lexi's shoulders, they and their two now grown children walking off in one direction away from all the chaos of the other graduates.

 _Later, The Doctor and Lexi's house, Kitchen, Night_...

"So..." Jupiter trailed off as she, Sky and their parents sat around their kitchen island. "What now?"

"What would you like to do?" The Doctor countered, using chopsticks to take a bite of noodles.

"Yeah." Lexi agreed, looking at their children. "You're both twenty four and are now university graduates. What would like to do next?"

"Why don't we go somewhere in the TARDIS?" Sky suggested. "I mean, we haven't used her for the past few years. I feel like she needs to move a little."

"I agree with that." The Doctor nodded immediately, snapping his fingers at his son.

"I say we all pack our things and just go somewhere for a while." Sky added.

"Like where?" Lexi tilted her head.

Jupiter raised her hand, making everyone look to her.

She smiled slightly.

"I have an idea."

 _A day later, Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Are you ready yet?" The Doctor called as he and Sky stood by the TARDIS door, doing last little adjustments on their late Victorian suits and straightening their top hats.

"We're coming!" Lexi called back just before and Jupiter emerged from a corridor, walking over to join the Doctor and Sky at the door. Both women now wearing late Victorian gowns, their hair pinned up in the right style for the time period.

"Okay, let's go." The Doctor smiled slightly, letting Lexi loop her arm through his as Sky did the same with Jupiter.

 _Outside, 1891, Night_...

"I still can't believe you managed to park her on top of a cloud." Lexi laughed as they all stepped out of the TARDIS, now finding theirselves standing on top of an actual cloud high up in the Victorian night sky.

"It's super-dense water vapor." The Doctor informed as they all stepped over to a spiral staircase that lead down towards the ground.

"How long do you think we'll stay here?" Sky wondered out loud.

"Don't know." The Doctor shrugged. "However long we feel like it."

Lexi smiled slightly before noticing the look in the Doctor's eyes, a deeper emotion swarming within them. Lexi had a feeling she knew what it was. You know why?

Because it was same emotion she had been trying to hold back for almost 25 years.

She knew. Lexi knew better. She knew exactly what the Doctor was thinking because she was thinking the same.

She hoped Sky and Jupiter didn't mind staying in Victorian London indefinitely.

Whatever.

Lexi shook her head of the thoughts that were trying to all of a sudden take over her mind as she, the Doctor and their twins started making their way down the spiral staircase.

Victorian London awaited.

* * *

 **A/N: There ya have it! I hope you enjoyed it. I tried my best. ️**

 **Now...**

 **WARNING: This AN is kinda long, but VERY IMPORTANT!**

 **So...**

 **I hope y'all enjoyed reading that prologue. :)**

 **I felt like I needed to give all of you a glimpse/look into the time/years of Jupiter and Sky growing up.**

 **I'll make it clear in the AN of "The Snowmen" about how old everyone is. You know, since around 25 years will have come to pass between the end of "The Angels Take Manhattan" and the beginning of "The Snowmen".**

 **And also...**

 **VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!**

 **I really think y'all will want to know what I'm about to tell you...**

 **I got some... questions/enquiries in the previous book about if I was going to have a certain someone regenerate at the same time 11 regenerates into 12. I never really gave a straight answer to anyone when they asked. I was always kinda vague about it. Anyway, I'm finally going to give y'all a for sure answer! *grins***

⬇️

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⬇️

⬇️

⬇️

⬇️

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⬇️

⬇️

 **YES!**

 **Yes, Lexi will be regenerating into someone new when 11 regenerates into 12. When Capaldi begins his run as the 12th Doctor, another actress will begin her run as Lexi 2.0/the 2nd Glorious. I've had this decision made since about the early part of series 6. I've just kept quiet about it and not really said anything.**

 **I know saying goodbye to our original Lexi will be hard, but I feel like it's important for her to change. The reason for that will be explained better as this book progresses. Although, if you really think about it, you might be able to sorta guess the reason yourself.**

 **And yes, I've already decided on an actress to portray the 2nd Glorious. I've had her picked out pretty much since I decided I was gonna have Lexi change. And I think you all will like her with 12. I mean, I REALLY do. I think this new Lexi and 12 will be amazing together!**

 **Anyway, by me saying what I've just said, it's pretty much revealed that the Christmas special at the end of this book will be pretty awesome! And emotional as well. But who are we kidding? That's a given. And I guess I can say now that that Christmas special will be called "The Time of the Doctor and the Glorious".**

 **Just... GAH! I'm just so excited for y'all to read this book! It's gonna be one hell of a ride!**

 **Another important thing: Since I have now revealed that Lexi will be regenerating into Lexi 2.0 when 11 regenerates into 12, I am also going to tell you that our current and original Lexi (Lexi 1.0), along with any other Lexis that come after her, will be getting her own signature outfit. Our current Lexi has always gotten a new outfit just about every episode, so I feel like it's time for a bit of a change. You know, she has a new life now. So, new life with a new look. Well, sorta new. In this book, she'll have a signature look that we'll remember in every episode in the future. Our Lexi will be getting her new signature outfit at the beginning of "The Bells of Saint John". I already have it picked out and everything. ️ I also think that by me giving our current Lexi (and any of her future incarnations) their own signature looks, it'll involve less time of me having to look for pictures of outfits for her to wear.**

 **Sorry if I rambled there for a minute. I just felt like I needed to get that whole fashion matter out there now so you won't be confused later. Because I have this whole scene idea for towards the beginning-ish part of "The Bells of Saint John" where Lexi goes into the TARDIS wardrobe and picks out her new look. Kinda like what 10 did at the end of "The Christmas Invasion".**

 **Anyway, now that I've got all that news out of the way, I'll say that what we've got coming up next is a couple of little filler chapters. The first of which I almost forgot about. But when I remembered it, I had to put it in. The second one as well, but we need to get past the first one before that. Anyway, the point is, we have 2 little filler chapters coming up next! There kinda like prequels for "The Snowmen".**

 **I'll shut up now.**

 **Anyway... I suppose I'll leave y'all, for now.**

 **I will have the first filler chapter up as soon as I can!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	4. The Great Detective

**A/N: Hello!**

 **Yes, this is " _The Great Detective_ ".**

 **I hope you all remember this prequel! :)**

 **We get to see our favorite Paternoster gang attempt to get our Couple of Time to engage in the universe again after oh-so many years of them not wanting to save or help anyone like they used to.**

 **We'll see how that goes...**

 **NOTE: Around a little over a year has passed since the end of the prologue.**

 **Just thought I'd mention that.**

 **Now...**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Outside, Victorian London, Night, 1892_...

'Twas the ' _most wonderful time of the year_ ' in Victorian London as people milled about the market place, enjoying the Christmas ambiance of the season as snow fell to the ground.

" ** _In London, in the time of Queen Victoria, there were many tales of a remarkable personage known as the Great Detective. I refer, of course, to Madame Vastra, the lizard woman of Paternoster Row and her extraordinary adventures, her beautiful assistant, Jenny Flint, and their mysterious henchman, Strax, whose countenance was too abominable to be photographed._** "

The Sontaran, Strax, peered around a corner, looking both ways before waving Jenny and Vastra over.

"What?" Jenny questioned as they walked over to him.

" ** _There are also accounts of a fourth and fifth member of the Paternoster Gang, shadowy figures whose assistance was only sought in the direst emergencies._** "

Strax, Jenny and Vastra heard a noise from behind them, making them turn to see a man and a woman in the shadows of the alley.

"I'm so glad you came." Vastra told them as she took a step forward. "We have news, I think, of particular interest to you. There was a meteor shower in the southwest, unexpected timing and density. I've calculated there is a thirty four percent chance it is the result of alien intervention... Twenty four percent. Well, they could just be meteors, but it's worth looking into... There is a very pleasant tea room in the area."

The man and woman glanced at each other before looking back to the trio, neither of them making any move to come out of the shadow of the alley.

"Also," Jenny began. "there's a Professor Arasmus Pink who's claiming he's going to split the world open with a giant drill through the thinnest part of the Earth's crust. I think we should investigate... I mean, he doesn't actually have a giant drill, and he's not really a professor, and he was a bit dunk at the time and singing a bit, but you know it is never too early to... investigate a drill."

The man and woman didn't move.

Strax then took a step forward with a finger raised.

"I have declared war on the Moon!"

"Do be quiet, Strax!" Vastra rolled her eyes.

"Too long the Moon has hung unmonitored and unsuspected in the sky!" Strax insisted. "It has gained an enormous tactical advantage!"

"There's no one living there!" Jenny huffed.

"Then it is CLEARLY time to act! They won't suspect a thing!"

"WHO won't suspect a thing?" Jenny questioned him.

Strax grinned. "Moonites."

"Why do you keep doing this?" The Doctor questioned as he and Lexi stepped out of the shadows, Lexi's arm looped through his. "What's the point? We have told you. We have been telling you the same thing for over a year now. Yet we KEEP having to tell you, we don't do this anymore. We've retired. Quite a while back, too."

"Alexis." Vastra stated, looking to Lexi. "Surely you can help. What about your children? When will you really and truly let them spread their wings, so to speak?"

"Oh, we have." Lexi assured her. "But, this has nothing to do with our children. If you had children of your own, Vastra, you would understand how hard it is to let go of them. I'm not ready to do that, yet."

"But there's a man on Praid Street with an invisible wife!" Jenny said quickly, trying one last time to persuade the Couple of Time. "Or... maybe he just didn't have a wife..."

"You're wasting our time." The Doctor told them before he and Lexi strode past them, Lexi's late Victorian gown fluttering just a tiny bit in the cold evening breeze.

"Merry Christmas!" Jenny called after them just before the couple seemed to disappear into thin air as a carriage passed them. Jenny sighed. "I think they mean it."

"Yes, my dear. I rather think they do." Vastra agreed sadly, lightly grabbing Jenny by the shoulders before leading the two of them away.

Strax looked up to the night sky, a slight scowl on his face.

"Damn Moon!"

* * *

 **A/N: There you go!**

 **I hope you enjoyed that. We got to see a little glimpse of how the Doctor and Lexi are now feeling.**

 **And next, we'll get another little chapter that will give us another tiny glimpse of a couple of certain someones as they wander around Victorian London. ;)**

 **I'll go through and proofread that for ya before I get it published.**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	5. Vastra Investigates

**A/N: Hello again!**

 **Yep, this is " _Vastra Investigates_ "! ️**

 **In this we get to see Vastra, Jenny and Strax as they've solved a Victorian murder mystery.**

 **And we'll also get to see a couple of certain someones notice that something isn't quite right with the snowy weather.**

 **However, our Couple of Time seems to be missing from all the action...**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Inside, Hallway, 1892_...

Strax, the Sontaran Butler, was putting handcuffs on a man.

"Prepare for obliteration, Earthling scum."

"Actually, Mr. Strax, if you could just take him aside for a moment, I have some officers on the way." The Inspector told him.

"As you wish." Strax replied before mumbling under his breath. "Humans..."

"Sorry." Jenny sighed as she and Vastra walked up to the Inspector. "He's new."

"Funny looking fellow." The he commented, turning to Jenny and Vastra. "Turkish, is he?"

"He is a genetically modified clone warrior from outer space." Vastra informed him.

"Ah. Makes sense." The Inspector nodded. "Well, what a case. Identical twins, poison undetectable to science, an ancient Egyptian curse. Once more Scotland Yard is in your debt, Madame Vastra. Where would we be without you?"

Vastra smirked. "Quite some distance from a clue, one imagines."

"You might be right." He admitted. "Does it ever hurt?"

"Does what hurt?" Vastra questioned, tilting her head.

"Your skin condition." The Inspector clarified. "Always wondered."

"It's not a skin condition, Inspector." Jenny told him. "It's just skin."

"Are you sure?"

"I am, as I may have failed to mention, an intelligent reptile from an ancient civilization long preceding mankind." Vastra informed him. "Many of us slumber under the Earth's crust."

"Madame was accidentally awoken by an extension to the London Underground." Jenny added.

"Well, that would account for it." The Inspector replied, unsure.

"I was not initially keen on the society of apes, but I made the most elementary of errors. I fell in love." Vastra told him before she and Jenny briefly gazed into each other's eyes.

"What, with the Turkish fellow?" The Inspector asked, referencing Strax.

"No." Vastra deadpanned. "Not the Turkish fellow."

The Inspector looked at her and Jenny closely, noticing their joined hands and Jenny lightly rubbing Vastra's arm.

"Good Lord." The Inspector swallowed hard. "Good Lord."

Vastra smiled wide, tugging on Jenny's arm. "Come along, my dear."

"Yes, my darling." Jenny smiled, shooting the Inspector a look before following her significant other out the door.

The Inspector watched until they disappeared out of sight. "Good Lord..."

 _Inside, Carriage_...

Vastra and Jenny laughed as they settled into their seats.

Jenny sighed, not being able to wipe the smile off her face before looking to Vastra. "So, still no word from the Doctor and the Glorious, then?"

"No, my dear." Vastra shook her head sadly. "And there won't be."

"They can't just sulk in their box forever." Jenny pointed out.

Just as Strax began to drive the carriage, Vastra grabbed Jenny's hand.

"Heartbreak is a burden to us all. Pity the people with two."

 _Outside, Market place, Night_...

"It's such a lovely night out." Jupiter commented as she and Sky walked arm-in-arm through the market place, people all around them going about their holiday business.

"I agree, sister mine." Sky replied. "But it is also peculiar as well."

"How so?" She questioned, stopping her walking which made Sky stop right next to her.

"Look up." He whispered.

Jupiter raised an eyebrow at her brother, but did indeed look up.

"It's snowing." She stated.

"Yes." He nodded, going around behind her and grabbing her by the shoulders. He leaned in close to her ear. "But what else?"

Jupiter squinted her eyes for a moment before a look of confused wonderment appeared on her face.

"Where are the clouds?"

* * *

 **A/N: And there you go!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it! ️**

 **See? Sky and Jupiter are not naive. They're becoming a couple of very curious individuals.**

 **Anyway, I am now going to take a little break before I really start working on the next episode. And we all know what it is...**

 **" _The Snowmen_ "!** 🎉 ️🎉 ️

 **I can't wait for this episode, people!**

 **It's gonna be fun not only because we get to see another echo of Lexi's Impossible Man and the Doctor find out that he himself has an Impossible Girl, but also because we'll finally get to see Lexi and the Doctor set off on their quest to figure out who there Impossibles are!**

 **So...**

 **Until next time!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	6. The Snowmen: Part 1

**A/N: HELLO! 😃**

 **Welcome to the first actual episode of this book!**

 **Like seriously, this is going to be SO MUCH FUN!**

 **Anyway, I would like to introduce y'all to our guest stars for this episode!**

 **~o0o~**

 **Guest Starring**

• _Emma Stone_ as Jupiter Pond

• _Richard Madden_ as Skyler "Sky" Pond

• _Tom Hiddleston_ as Lucas

AND

• _Jenna Coleman_ as Clara

 **~o0o~**

 **Yes! Tom is back and so is Jenna! Our favorite echoes have returned! 💕**

 **And yes, Emma and Richard are still considered guest stars because their characters aren't in every episode. And Jenna and Tom are considered guest stars for this episode because these are just echoes of Clara and Lucas. Tom and Jenna won't be considered series regulars until " _The Bells of Saint John_ ".**

 **Okay, so... I guess that's all for now.**

 **Oh, wait!**

 **I almost forgot.**

 **Everyone's ages:**

 **• The Doctor – he's twelve hundred and something. (You know, unless he's lying.)**

 **• Lexi – She is now 50 years old.**

 **• Jupiter and Sky – They are now 25 years old.**

 **The Doctor and Lexi do not look any older than what they looked like at the end of _The Pond Twins_.**

 **Now...**

 **Let us read... " _The Snowmen_ "!**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Inside, Rose and Crown, Night_...

The pub seemed to be doing a good business as one of the barmaids, Clara, collected empty tankards on a tray before bringing them over to the bar where a young man was wiping down the counter.

"Mind helping me with these, Lucas?" Clara asked as she set the tray down by another full tray she had collected previously.

"Why, of course." Lucas smiled, taking one of the trays. "What kind of a friend would I be if I refused?"

Clara laughed.

 _Outside, Rose and Crown_...

Lucas and Clara brought all the tankards outside. They then heard a noise, making them set the trays down on a couple of barrels before looking and seeing a snowman standing a little distance away.

The two friends shared a look before taking a couple of cautious steps forward just as a man and woman walked past them.

"Did you two make this snowman?" Lucas questioned.

"No." They replied as they kept on walking.

"Well, who did?" Clara asked in agreement with Lucas. "'Cause it wasn't there a second ago. It just appeared, from nowhere."

The man and woman stopped and turned around to reveal that it was the Doctor and Lexi in Victorian garb. The couple then walked back to Lucas and Clara, the Doctor putting on a pair of glasses - the ones Amy had left behind.

The Doctor and Lexi shared a look before they both looked at the snowman, pinching some snow off it.

"Maybe it's snow that fell before." The Doctor commented quietly as he examined the snow in his hand.

"Maybe it remembers how to make snow." Lexi mused as she let the snow in her hand fall through her fingers and to the ground.

"Really? Snow that can remember?" Lucas questioned. "That's silly."

Lexi turned around to look at him. "What's wrong with silly?"

"Nothing." He smirked. "We're still talking to you, ain't we?"

"Witty. I like that." The Doctor smiled, taking off the glasses as he came to stand next to Lexi as they faced Lucas and Clara. "What are your names?"

"Clara." Clara replied.

"Lucas." Lucas stated. He then noticed the look Lexi was giving him. "What?"

"Sorry." Lexi shook her head slightly, snapping back to reality. "I feel like I know you from somewhere. Anyway, nice names, you two should definitely keep them." She gave a slight smile before grabbing the Doctor's hand, both of them walking off. "Goodbye!"

After a pause and a shared look, Lucas and Clara chased after them.

"Oi!" Clara called out to the couple, putting her hands on her hips. "Where are you going?"

"Yeah, we thought we were just getting acquainted with you both." Lucas agreed, crossing his arms.

The Couple of Time turned around.

"Those were the days." The Doctor smiled sadly before gripping Lexi's hand and leading the two of them away.

Clara huffed as she and Lucas turned back for the pub, both of them pausing when they heard a carriage driver call to the horses.

The two friends then looked down the way the Doctor and Lexi walked.

Lucas glanced at Clara. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Clara grinned, throwing down her shawl before she and Lucas began running after the Doctor and Lexi. They then spotted the carriage before turning in that direction and running after it.

 _Inside, Carriage_...

The Doctor and Lexi sat in the carriage, an old-fashioned speaker hanging from the roof.

"How refreshing to see you two taking an interest again." Vastra's voice came over the speaker. "Were they nice?"

"We just spoke to them." Lexi sighed.

"And made your usual impact, no doubt." Vastra responded, a smirk clearly evident in her tone.

"There was no impact at all." The Doctor told her. "Those days have been over for a long time."

"Oh, please." Vastra scoffed. "You just can't help yourselves."

 _Inside, Vastra's conservatory_...

"It is always the same story, every time." Vastra said as she sat while speaking into a disguised communication device. "And, Alexis dear, I know you haven't been at this as long as your dear Doctor, but I'm sure you know, with the titles you two are both using, people will always ask two very important questions. And those two questions will always contain the same two words."

 _Inside, Carriage_...

"They'll never be able to find us again, they don't even have the names." The Doctor told her.

"He's right, Vastra." Lexi agreed. "We never said Doctor and Glorious. And by the way, what are you even talking about? What two questions? What two words?"

All of a sudden, Clara dropped her head right in front of the Doctor through the flap at the top of the carriage as Lucas dropped his head down in front of Lexi.

"Doctor?" Clara tilted her head. "Doctor who?"

Lucas smirked.

"Glorious who?"

 _Outside, London alley_...

A man walked along the alley but was blocked by a woman in figure-hugging black leather.

"Well, Dr. Simeon." Jenny smirked. "You're out very late tonight."

A second figure then walked up behind Simeon dressed in a black gown with her face hidden behind a veil.

"Almost makes you wonder what you've been up to." Vastra commented as she stepped forward. "But then, I have often wondered about the activities of Dr. Simeon and his exceptionally secretive institute."

"Well, I am honored this evening." Simeon smiled darkly. "The veiled detective and her fatuous accomplice."

"At your service." Jenny curtsied mockingly.

"You realize Dr. Doyle is almost certainly basing his fantastical tales on your own exploits? With a few choice alterations, of course. I doubt the readers of The Strand magazine would accept that the great detective is, in reality..." Simeon stepped up to Vastra and lifted her veil. "a woman. And her suspiciously intimate companion."

"I resent your implications of impropriety." Vastra scowled. "We are married."

"Which is more than can be said for you. Isn't that right, Dr. Simeon?" A female voice said from above, making everyone look up to Jupiter and Sky crouched down on a low roof of a building, Jupiter wearing an outfit much like Jenny's and Sky wearing an outfit that was sorta like that except more suited and fitted for his male figure.

"Who the hell are you two?" Simeon frowned.

"Well, I'm Greg Lestrade." Sky introduced himself as he and Jupiter jumped off the roof and onto the ground. "And this is my associate, Miss Irene Adler."

"Please, call me The Woman." Jupiter smirked.

"So lovely you two could join us." Vastra welcomed them.

"Yes, well, we snuck out of the house." Sky told her as he and Jupiter took their places on either side of Simeon. Simeon himself now being surrounded on all sides.

"And by 'house', you mean..." Jenny trailed off.

"TARDIS? Yeah." Jupiter nodded before looking back to Simeon.

"Great. Now that everyone's here, let's begin." Vastra stated. "This snow - it's interesting, don't you think?" She then picked up some snow from the top of a barrel. "The ice can detect and respond to the thoughts and memories of the people around it. Memory snow. Snow that learns."

"How fascinating." Simeon commented dryly.

"I do hope it's listening to the right people, though." Sky chimed in, picking up some snow from a barrel besides him and balling it up into an actual snowball. He then looked to Simeon as tossed the snowball up and down. "It could be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands, don't you think?"

"I think winter is coming." Simeon replied. "Such a winter as this world has never known. The last winter of humankind. Do you know why I'm telling all of you this?"

"We are intrigued, yes." Jupiter crossed her arms.

"Because there is not a single thing you can do to stop it." He informed them before walking away.

"Perhaps we can't." Vastra said, making Simeon pause. "But we know a man and woman who can."

"I look forward to meeting them." He replied before continuing on his way.

"Do you mean, the Doctor and the Glorious?" Jenny enquired as she, Vastra and the twins all gathered together in the middle of the alley. "They won't help us. They never help anymore, you know that."

"They're our parents, of course we know." Sky sighed, dropping snowball he had in his hand to the ground. "We know why they don't help anymore. We've grown up our whole lives knowing."

"Why do you think I suggested that we come here?" Jupiter questioned, looking to Vastra and Jenny. "We've been here in this time for over a year and there's still no sign of them letting up. I mean, I get why they're sad. And someday, Sky and I are going to have to deal with that ourselves. But for now, what's brewing here this winter, might just be our chance to get them back in the game. Because they can't stay here the rest of their lives. They just can't."

"Well then, let's pray for a miracle." Vastra stated. "Because I think we're going to need it."

 _Outside, Street_...

"Come on, let us out!" Lucas's voice came from inside the carriage as he banged against the door. "What have you locked this thing with?"

"Just a dead-lock seal, don't worry!" Lexi told him, patting the side of the carriage before she walked off towards where the Doctor and Strax were.

"They've taken samples from snowmen all over London." Strax stated as he lowered a pair of advanced binoculars away from his face. "What do you suppose they're doing in there?"

"This snow is new. Possibly alien." The Doctor stated as Lexi walked up behind where he was squatting, running the snow through his fingers. "When you find something brand new in the world, something you've never seen before, what's the next thing you look for?"

Strax thought for a moment before raising a finger. "A grenade!"

"No, Strax. Not a grenade." Lexi rolled her eyes. "A profit."

"That's Victorian values for you." The Doctor commented as he stood up before facing Strax and Lexi.

"I suggest a full frontal assault with automated laser monkeys, scalpel mines and acid." Strax told them.

"Why?" Lexi questioned, squinting at him.

"Couldn't we at least investigate?"

"It's none of our business." The Doctor told him.

"Sir," Strax began as he stepped forward. "permission to express my opposition to your current apathy?"

"Permission granted." The Doctor motioned for him to continue.

"Sir, I am opposed to your current apathy."

"Let us out of here!" Clara's voice shouted, muffled from where she and Lucas were trapped inside the carriage.

"Well, we thank you Strax." Lexi told him. "If we're ever in need of advice from a psychotic potato-dwarf," She took Strax's face in her hands. "you'll certainly be the first to know."

"But if the snow is new and alien," Strax started as Lexi released his head. "shouldn't we be making some attempt to destroy it? Be reasonable!"

The Doctor put a finger to Strax's lips, glancing over his shoulder to see that the carriage was rocking back and forth.

"Let us out!" Lucas and Clara shouted.

The Doctor looked back to Strax. "It's not our problem. Over a thousand years of saving the universe, Strax, you know the one thing I learned?... The universe doesn't care."

"Oi, Glorious!" Lucas shouted from inside the carriage. "You and the Doctor, let us out!"

Lexi sighed, looking to the Doctor and Strax.

"We can stand here all night talking over why the universe doesn't care about us, but right now we have a problem of our own to worry about..." She grabbed the Doctor's hand before walking over to the carriage.

"Let us out! Oi!" Clara shouted.

The Doctor used the sonic to open the carriage door, Clara and Lucas moving as far away as they could away from him and Lexi.

"Don't worry." Lexi told them as she and the Doctor got inside the carriage, sitting across from them. "No one is going to hurt either of you."

Clara looked to her right just as Strax appeared outside the carriage. "What is that thing?"

"Silence, boy!" Strax frowned.

"That's Strax and as you can see, he's easily confused." The Doctor said, shooting a look at Strax.

"Silence, girl." Strax corrected himself. "Sorry, lad."

"He's Sontaran." Lexi explained. "It's a Clone warrior race - factory produced, whole legions at a time. Two genders is a bit further than he can count."

"Ma'am, do not discuss my reproductive cycle in front of enemy girls!" Strax scowled. "It's embarrassing."

"Typical middle child of six million." The Doctor whispered.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked the couple, bewildered.

"Doesn't matter." Lexi told him seriously. "Because you and Clara are about to forget that you ever met the Doctor and I." She then looked to Strax. "We'll need the worm."

"Ma'am." He nodded before leaving.

"You'll need the what? The worm?" Clara asked quickly. "What worm?"

"Don't worry, it won't hurt." The Doctor assured her. "But one touch on your bare skin and you'll lose the last hour of your memory."

Strax then appeared empty-handed.

Lexi glanced at him. "Where is it?"

"Where's what, ma'am?"

"I sent you to get the memory worm."

"Did you? When?" He asked her, confused before looking to Lucas and Clara. "What are those? What are we doing here?" He then looked up. "Look, it's been snowing!"

Lexi sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. "You didn't use the gauntlets, did you?"

"Why would I need the gauntlets?" He asked her. "Do you want me to get the memory worm?"

 _Soon after_...

Strax was under the carriage, looking for the memory worm as the Doctor, Lexi, Clara and Lucas stood by and watched.

"Can you see it?" The Doctor asked him, him and Lexi bending down a bit to look underneath the carriage.

"I think I can hear it." Strax informed.

Lexi glanced over her shoulder to look at Lucas and Clara, seeing both of them trying to hide smiles.

"Don't try to run away." Lexi pointed a finger at them in warning. "Stay right where you are."

"Why would we run?" Lucas chuckled. "We know what's going to happen next - and it is funny."

"What's funny?" The Doctor called back to them, not looking away from the carriage as Lexi turned back to check on Strax's progress.

"Your little pal, for a start," Clara stated in agreement with her friend. "Ugly little fella, isn't he?"

"Maybe." The Doctor agreed, turning around to look at them. "He gave his life for a friend of me and my wife's once."

"Then why is he alive?" Lucas questioned, crossing his arms.

"Another friend of ours brought him back." Lexi chimed in, glancing back at Lucas once before looking back to where Strax was still under the carriage. "I'm not quite sure all his brains made the return trip!"

"Neither am I." Clara giggled.

"I can see it!" Strax announced.

"Ooh!" The Doctor smiled slightly as he turned back to the carriage. "Can you reach it? Have you got it?"

"Got what, sir?" Strax asked.

Lucas walked past where the Couple of Time was looking at Strax underneath carriage and picked up a pair of large gloves he saw laying on the back of the carriage.

Lucas lifted the pair of large gloves and raised an eyebrow at Lexi. "These are the gauntlets, aren't they?"

"Sir! Ma'am! Emergency!" Strax exclaimed from underneath carriage. "I think I've been run over by a cab!"

 _Soon after_...

"There you go." The Doctor said as he stood up with the squirming worm in the grasp of the gauntlets. "One touch and you lose about an hour of your memory. Let it bite you and you could lose decades." He explained as he shoved the worm into a jar Lexi was holding. "And you two are still not trying to run."

"Well, we're a couple of curious individuals." Lucas told him. "We don't like to leave mysteries unsolved. For instance: the mystery of how the snowman built itself."

"Exactly." Clara smiled. "We'll run once you've explained that."

Lexi smirked as she and the Doctor circled the two.

"Clara who?" The Doctor asked as he passed around behind her.

"Doctor who?" She questioned right back.

"Who are you Lucas?" Lexi whispered as she passed around behind him. "Lucas who?"

"Glorious who?"

"Ooh, that could be a dangerous question." Lexi informed him as she and the Doctor came back to standing right in front of him in Clara.

"But what's wrong with dangerous?" Clara tilted her head.

The Doctor smiled slightly. "The snow emits a low level telepathic field..."

As the Doctor began to explain, Clara and Lucas turned their heads just as two snowmen appeared.

"Do we each get our snowman now?" Lucas asked nervously, his voice a whisper.

"...And what I've learned," Lexi continued on from the Doctor, neither of them taking notice of the snowmen. "is that it seems to reflect people's thoughts and memories. And because it's unusual, somehow it's able to carry a previous shape and..."

"Will you both shut up?!" Clara explained as she and Lucas grabbed the couple by the arms and pointed at the snowmen. "Our snowmen! There's two now!"

"Interesting." Lexi nodded as they all approached the snowmen. "Were you two thinking about snowmen?"

"Yes." Lucas stated.

Another snowman then appeared next to the first two.

"Well, stop." The Doctor told them.

The four of them then turned to run in the other direction and found a fourth snowman.

"Lucas, Clara, you both need to stop thinking about the snowmen!" Lexi exclaimed.

Even more snowmen then appeared and opened their mouths, the Doctor kneeling down and gripping Clara's head in his hands as Lexi did the same with Lucas.

"Lucas, you need to stop." Lexi told him, looking him straight in the eyes.

"The snow is feeding off your thoughts." The Doctor told Clara.

"I don't understand." Lucas shook his head slightly.

"You and Clara are caught in their telepathic field." Lexi told him. "They're mirroring the two of you."

"The more you think about them, the more they appear." The Doctor said, gripping Clara's head and not allowing her to look away from him so she could concentrate like Lexi was trying to do with Lucas. "Imagine them melting, picture it, picture them melted!"

Clara and Lucas closed their eyes just before they, the Doctor and Lexi were soon splashed by melted snowmen.

"Well," Lexi said, wiping some water from her face as she stood back up. "that was very good."

"Very good indeed." The Doctor laughed as he got to his feet.

"Is that going happen again?" Clara asked as she and Lucas sat back against a building, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Well, if it does..." Lexi began as she straightened out the skirt of her Victorian gown. "you'll know what do about it."

"Unless we forget." Lucas pointed out as he and Clara got to their feet.

The Doctor and Lexi look at the duo before looking to each other. They both sighed before grabbing Lucas and Clara by the arms and leading them back to the carriage.

"Don't come looking for us." The Doctor told them as he and Lexi watched Clara and Lucas get into the carriage.

"And please, forget about us." Lexi said in agreement. "Do you understand?"

"What about the snow?" Clara asked. "Shouldn't we be warning people?"

"Not our problem." The Doctor said, closing the carriage door. "Merry Christmas!"

"Take them back where we found them!" Lexi called to Strax who was waiting in the front of the carriage.

"Ma'am!" Strax nodded.

The Doctor grabbed Lexi's hand before the two of them walked away, Strax driving off.

As the carriage pulled away, Clara and Lucas were revealed to have gotten out before silently following the Couple of Time.

 _Outside, Park_...

The Doctor opened the wrought-iron fence's gate, letting Lexi step through before stepping through himself. He then closed the gate before turning back to Lexi, both of them looking around cautiously.

Lexi looped her arm through his as they began walking, the Doctor whistling 'Silent Night' as they went.

Lexi then let go of the Doctor arm before the Doctor looked around again. He then jumped up, catching on and invisible ladder.

Lexi giggled slightly before she began ascending the ladder, her husband following behind her, neither of them noticing Clara and Lucas peering out from behind a nearby tree.

The two curious friends watched as the ladder retracted, becoming invisible again. They then walked over to the spot where the ladder appeared and looked up at the empty sky.

Clara jumped in an attempt to reach the ladder but fell to the ground, making Lucas snigger.

"Nice one, Clara." Lucas chuckled, extending a hand out to her.

"Well, excuse me." She rolled her eyes, taking his outstretched hand and getting to her feet again. "I'm not the one who's six foot tall here."

"Oh, and who would that be? Oh wait." He grinned, reaching up, taking hold of the bottom of the ladder without any difficulty. "It's me."

"Come on." Clara huffed.

Lucas chuckled, pulling the ladder down before climbing it, Clara following behind him.

They soon reached a small landing and looked down at the street and the passers-by.

"Hello." Clara waved, no one taking any notice.

"Invisible." Lucas whispered, waving his hand slightly before looking at the spiral staircase behind him and Clara.

"An invisible staircase." Clara said softly before she and Lucas began climbing it.

 _Outside, Night sky_...

Lucas followed behind Clara as they climbed the staircase, both of them taking notice of how high it reached above London. They also heard the sound of the ladder as it finally retracted down below.

The duo continued to climb until they reached the top, the staircase ending in the cloud.

"Wow." Lucas whispered as he and Clara looked around at the stars before noticing the TARDIS.

The two friends shared a look before tentatively stepping forwards, finding themselves on solid footing.

They cautiously walked over to the TARDIS, touching it, quickly pulling their hands away.

Clara looked to Lucas, raising an eyebrow in question.

Lucas shrugged, motioning for her to go ahead.

Clara looked back to the blue box before knocking on the door, her and Lucas hearing a noise from within.

The two friends quickly separated and hid on either side of the TARDIS as the Doctor and Lexi opened the doors and peered out.

"Hello?" The Doctor called.

Lucas and Clara both moved to the back of the TARDIS as the Doctor and Lexi stepped out and walked forward.

"Hello?" Lexi called out as she and the Doctor looked around.

The couple looked at each other before going around the TARDIS together, Clara and Lucas moving to different sides so the Doctor and Lexi couldn't see them.

But as the Couple of Time was behind the TARDIS, Clara and Lucas reached the front and ran before quickly descending the stairs.

"Hello?" The couple called again as they made their way to the front and over to the staircase where they spotted Clara's shawl.

The Doctor and Lexi shared a look before peering down the staircase, just being able to see Clara and Lucas making their way down towards the ground.


	7. The Snowmen: Part 2

_Inside, Rose and Crown, Clara's room, Morning_...

Clara's eyes fluttered open on Christmas Eve morning with the sunlight streaming in through the open window, making her smile.

"Knock knock." A familiar voice came from the other side of the door.

"Come in." Clara called as she sat up.

The door opened, Lucas stepping in before setting a steaming cup of tea on the table by the door.

"For you." He said before walking back to the door. He glanced back at her pausing in the doorframe. "Be down in fifteen minutes?" He questioned.

"Yes." She nodded in confirmation. "And thank you."

"You're welcome." He gave her a small smile before closing the door, leaving Clara alone.

Clara sighed contently, thankful she had such a good friend like Lucas. She then swung her legs over the side of the bed before walking and picking up the cup of tea Lucas had brought her.

She inhaled the scent of honey in her tea as she lifted the cup to her lips, all the while eyeing the bag she had sitting on a chair by the end of her bed.

 _Outside, Rose and Crown_...

Clara and Lucas walked out of the door, bags in their hands.

The duo looked around, seeing no snowman.

"Well, would you look at that." Lucas stated, an amused smile on his face.

"Must've thawed in the night." Clara mused.

The innkeeper of the Rose and Crown, Bob Chilcott, now stood in the doorway.

"I'm begging you, Lucas, Clara, I'm on my knees." He said.

"Elsie and George are back this afternoon - we were only helping out." Clara told him.

"Yeah." Lucas agreed, giving his bag a pat. "And besides, we've got our own work to get back to."

"What work?" Bob questioned. "Why won't you two ever tell us?"

"You'd never believe us." Clara smiled, blowing a kiss before she and Lucas walked away.

 _Inside, Carriage_...

"Alright, you know what to do." Lucas said as he and Clara pulled down the shades. "I don't look at you. You don't look at me."

"Of course." Clara smirked, opening her bag and pulling out a gown before letting down her hair.

Lucas opened his bag, his black top immediately coming into view, making him smile.

 _Outside, Latimer house, Front_...

The carriage pulled up in front of the house, Lucas stepping out of it soon after before extending a hand to help Clara out like a proper gentleman should. The duo now wore outfits befitting people of a higher station.

"Alice, how smart you look today." Clara, now using a posh accent, greeted the maid waiting at the front door.

"The governess should enter by the back door, unless accompanied by the children." Alice told her.

"Oh, and what am I?" Lucas asked, also using a posh accent as he set his bag on the ground beside himself.

"Their wonderful tutor who they won't stop talking about." She told him, a slight smile on her face.

All three of couldn't help but share a laugh.

"How are the children?" Clara questioned. "Excited about tomorrow?"

"Francesca, same as ever. Digby says he misses you two everyday." Alice told the duo. "Oh, and Captain Latimer wants to see you both."

"Of course." Lucas said, picking his bag back up before he and Clara walked inside.

Clara stopped in the doorway and glanced back at Alice. "Everyday?"

"Twice on Saturdays."

Clara smirked. "That's better."

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's study_...

Captain Latimer seemed to be holding and looking at some sort of business card when he heard a couple of knocks on the door.

"Captain Latimer." Lucas nodded in greeting as he and Clara entered the study,

"Ah." Captain Latimer said he turned around to face them. "Mister Devereaux, Miss Montague, you're back."

"In time for Christmas." Clara smiled. "Apologies for our brief absence - family illnesses are so unpredictable."

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Lucas enquired, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Yes." He spoke, setting the business card he had been holding on top of his desk before facing Lucas and Clara directly. "Francesca and Digby have been having nightmares."

"Young children often do." Lucas told him.

"Every night this week, they say." Captain Latimer informed them. "Won't tell me about them."

"Perhaps if you asked them in the right way, there's no one they'd rather tell." Clara suggested.

"Children are not really my area of expertise..."

"They are, however, your children, sir." Lucas reminded him.

"You both seem to have remarkable amounts of wisdom in these matters." Captain Latimer told them. "Maybe you can get through to them."

"We'll do our best." Clara smiled before she and Lucas turned around and left.

 _Outside, Latimer house, Back garden_...

Francesca and Digby were playing tag before they stopped, rushing over when they saw Clara and Lucas.

"Miss Montague! Mister Devereaux!" Francesca exclaimed excitedly.

"You're back!" Digby grinned.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Clara held up her hand to stop them.

"What have we discussed?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at them.

"Good morning, Miss Montague, Mister Devereaux." Francesca greeted politely.

"Good morning, Miss Montague, Mister Devereaux." Digby greeted, much in the same as his sister.

"Good morning, Francesca." Clara smiled, shaking the girl's hand.

"And a good morning to you, Digby." Lucas smiled, shaking the young boy's hand.

"Christmas Eve is the most thrilling day, don't you think?" Clara sighed happily.

Lucas chuckled before looking back and forth between the boy and girl. "Now, what have you two been up to while Miss Montague and I were away? I trust you've been keeping up with your lessons."

"I did seven drawings." Digby informed him. "Oh, and we also saw a dead cow."

"Well," Clara said, eyes slightly wide at that admission. "how exciting(!)"

"Can you both do your secret voices?" Francesca asked quietly.

Lucas and Clara shared a look and then glanced around before bending over and using their real voices.

"'Ello, mates!" They whispered, making the children erupt into a fit a giggles.

 _Soon after_...

Clara and Francesca now sat next to each other on a bench while Digby and Lucas lightly kicked a ball back and forth between themselves, Digby now wearing Lucas's top hat.

"They're not exactly nightmares." Francesca said, glancing over at her brother before looking back to Clara. "Just dreams."

"About our old governess and tutor - the ones who died." Digby added before doing air quotes. "They're 'haunting us from beyond the grave'."

"Have you not spoken to your father about this?" Lucas questioned as he kicked the ball to Digby.

"You can't exactly talk about something like this to Daddy." Francesca told them.

"You could try." Clara reasoned.

"Do you want to see where they died?" Digby asked them.

 _Outside, Latimer house, Front_...

"They fell in there." Digby said, pointing to a pond as Lucas walked beside him, once again wearing his top hat as Clara and Francesca followed a short distance behind. "Both of them at the same time. And then, it froze. They were in the ice for days and days. I hated them. They were cross all the time. In our dreams, our governess and tutor are still down there, waiting to come back."

"Miss Montague, come and take a look at this." Lucas said as he crouched down by the pond, Clara soon joining him.

"Everything else has thawed." Clara stated quietly.

"Exactly." Lucas nodded, tapping the ice of the pond. "So, if that is the case,... then why is this pond still frozen?"

Clara and Lucas then remembered what the Doctor had said about the snow when he and the Glorious helped them the previous night.

"The snow is feeding off your thoughts - the more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear."

"Frannie, Digby, this is important." Clara said, looking back and forth between the two children. "You dream about them. What do you dream?"

"They're cross with us." Francesca stated. "Our governess talks more to me. And our tutor talks more to Digby. Our governess says that I've been bad and she's going to come out of the pond to punish me."

"And what about you, Digby?" Lucas asked the young boy.

"Our tutor, he was pretty scary sometimes. He's even more scary now in the dreams." Digby told them. "He says that I haven't been doing good in my lessons and that he's going to come out of the pond to reprimand me."

"When?" Clara asked.

"They said they'd come back for Christmas." Francesca replied. "Tonight."

"Have we gone mad?" Digby questioned, tilting his head. "Do we need a doctor?"

"No, Digby. You're not going mad." Lucas assured him. "And you're glorious in your lessons. Wait..."

Lucas slowly looked to Clara, a look of realization soon crossing Clara's face.

 _Outside, Park_...

Lucas and Clara hurried into the park and called up to the sky.

"Doctor!" Clara exclaimed.

"Glorious!" Lucas shouted as people began to stop and watch them.

"What are they looking at?" One man asked another.

"Doctor!"

"Glorious!"

Just then, Jenny was walking by the park and saw them before rushing inside to stop them from attracting more attention.

"Now then, that's enough noise." Jenny told them. "We don't want to attract attention, do we?"

"We're looking for the Doctor and the Glorious." Clara informed her.

"Do you know about them?" Lucas asked, taking a step forward.

"Doctor who?" Jenny asked as she tilted her head, smirking internally. "Glorious who?"

Clara, Lucas and Jenny looked at each other closely, knowing they all shared the same secret.

 _Inside, Vastra's conservatory_...

"Do not attempt to escape or you will be obliterated!" Strax exclaimed as he blocked the entrance to the conservatory. "May I take your coats?"

Clara and Lucas each gave Strax their coats and hats before he stepped aside to reveal Vastra sitting in a high-back cane chair as she sipped on a red drink.

Clara and Lucas stopped, not being able to stop themselves from just staring at the lizard woman.

"Sit." Jenny told the two just as Sky entered the room with a watering can before he silently began watering the plants, not saying a word to anyone.

"There are two refreshments in your world the color of red wine. This is not red wine." Vastra told them as she set the glass on the table right next to herself.

Clara and Lucas glanced at Sky questioningly before looking back to Vastra as they sat down in two chairs across from her.

"Madame Vastra will ask the two of you questions." Jenny informed just as Jupiter entered the room with two cups of tea before setting them down on a table between where Clara and Lucas were sitting. She then left without a word. "You will confine yourselves to single word responses. One word only, do you understand?"

"Why?" They both asked immediately.

"Truth is singular - lies are words, words, words." Vastra told them. "You both met the Doctor and the Glorious, didn't you."

"Yes." They replied in unison before picking up the cups of tea Jupiter had brought them.

"And now you've come looking for them again. Why?"

"Take your time." Jenny told them. "One word only."

Lucas thought for a moment before speaking. "Curiosity."

"About?" Vastra enquired.

"Snow." Clara answered.

"And about them?"

"Yes." Lucas confirmed before taking a sip of tea.

"What do you want from them?"

"Help." Clara told her, taking a sip of tea herself.

"Why?"

"Danger." Lucas stated.

"Why would they help you?"

Clara thought for a moment. "...Kindness."

"The Doctor is not kind." Vastra stated. "The Glorious... her kindness is reserved for a select few."

"Really?" Lucas asked.

"Yes." Vastra replied. "The Doctor and the Glorious do not help people. Not anyone, not ever. They stand above this world and don't interfere in the affairs of its inhabitants. They are not your salvation, nor your protectors. Do you both understand what I'm saying to you?"

Clara and Lucas glanced at each other before looking back to Vastra.

"Words."

Sky chuckled softly at that from where he was watering a small plant on the far side of the room.

"They were different once, a long time ago." Vastra admitted. "The Doctor, he was kind. A hero, even. A saver of worlds. The Glorious, she was a radiant being who tried to help as many people as she could, bringing joyfulness to them along the way. She eventually joined the Doctor in his journey of helping anyone and everyone they possibly could in the universe. They were happy, even. They, at one point, had everything they could possibly wish for. But then, they suffered losses. Losses which hurt them badly. Now, they prefer isolation to the possibility of pain's return. Please kindly choose responses to indicate your understanding of this. I will allow each of you one word."

"Man." Clara stated after a moment.

Lucas looked Vastra right in the eye. "Woman."

Vastra looked over to Sky who nodded his head before exiting the room now that he was done watering the plants. She then looked over at Jenny who also nodded her head.

"We are the Doctor and the Glorious's friends." Vastra said as she looked back to Clara and Lucas. "We assist them in their isolation, but that does not mean we approve of it. So... a test for you both. Give me a message for the Doctor and the Glorious. Tell them all about the snow and fresh danger you believe it presents, and above all, explain why they should help you." She said just as they took breaths, making Vastra place a finger to their lips. "But do it in one word. You two are thinking it is impossible that such a word exists, or that you could even find it. Let's see if the gods are with you."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor and Lexi were sitting in two jump seats in the muted blue light, the Doctor reading as Lexi sipped a cup of steaming tea.

The phone then began ringing.

Lexi sighed in frustration, setting her teacup down on its saucer before picking up the phone. "I was having a nice cup of tea. And the Doctor is trying to read. By the way, you can tell Sky and Jupiter that we know what they're up to. We know they're with you. Anyway, what do you want?"

"Miss Clara and Mister Lucas and their concerns about the snow." Vastra's voice came through the phone. "I gave them the one-word test."

"Vastra, I told you that's pointless." Lexi sighed, lifting her tea cup to her mouth as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder. "What did they say?... Well, what?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Vastra spoke one word that gave Lexi chills.

" ** _Pond._** "

Lexi dropped her teacup, it shattering as it hit the floor of the console room.

The Doctor immediately looked over to her, taking off his glasses. "Lex?"

" _Strax has already suggested where to start investigating._ "


	8. The Snowmen: Part 3

_Inside, Great Intelligence HQ, Study, Day_...

"Danger." A large globe, called the Intelligence, on top of a large dais spoke as electricity crackled around it. "Danger."

"What's wrong?" Dr. Simeon asked, standing up from his desk before walking over to the globe.

"There is danger here." It spoke. "An intelligence. An intelligence beyond anything else in this time and place."

"Dr. Simeon, sir." A clerk said as he entered the study. "There are two individuals who are demanding to see you."

"No callers, not in here, not ever." Simeon told him. "Did they leave their names?"

"They say their names are Sherlock Holmes and... Dr. Johanna Watson?"

Just then, the Doctor and Lexi ended the office. The Doctor was wearing an Inverness cape and a deerstalker hat while carrying a cane. Lexi herself came in wearing a completely black Victorian gown and black top hat decorated with black flowers and a black feather as she held an umbrella at her side.

"Nice office you have here." Lexi commented, lightly swinging her umbrella as she and the Doctor walked further into the room.

"Yes." The Doctor agreed, eyeing the Intelligence in the middle of the room. "Big globey thing. Now, shut up, don't tell me!" He pointed at Simeon with his cane. "I see from your collar stud you have an apple tree and a wife with a limp. Am I right?"

"No." Simeon scowled.

"But you've got a wife?" The Doctor asked.

"No."

"Look, whatever. You have a bit of a tree. You don't have a bit of a tree. You have a wife. You don't have a wife. None of it really matters." Lexi spoke as she kept one eye on the globe while keeping her other one on Simeon. "Just please, work with Mr. Holmes here 'cause he really kinda enjoys this sort of thing."

"You know..." Simeon began as he eyed the duo. "I enjoy The Strand magazine as much as the next person but I am perfectly aware that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. _John_ Watson are fictional characters. Get out!"

The Doctor pointed to the clerk that was in the room wth the cane. "Do you have a goldfish named Colin?"

"No." The clerk shook his head before leaving.

"Thought not." The Doctor shrugged. "Now... Ooh! I see this is one of your business cards -" He picked it up off the desk and held it in front of Simeon's face. "it says so on the front!"

"Who are you two?" Simeon asked, bewildered as he looked back and forth between the Doctor and Lexi. "What are you doing here?"

"This." Lexi grinned before rushing over to the globe in the middle of the room. "Wakey, wakey!" She exclaimed, swinging at the globe with end of her umbrella.

"That is highly valuable equipment." Simeon told her angrily as he went grabbed the umbrella, staring her down as neither of them made a move to step back. "...You must step away now."

"We are the Intelligence." The globe spoke.

"Ooh, what's that? Talking snow..." Lexi smirked. "Dr. Simeon, I must say, you are doing a wonderful job of satisfying my love for new things."

"You are not of this world." The Intelligence stated.

"Actually, I am." Lexi stated as she stepped away from Simeon, pulling her umbrella out of his grip. "It's a complicated story we don't really have time for."

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed as he and Lexi began circling the globe. "You know, dear, I think this whole 'doctor' persona really suits you."

"Why thank you." She grinned.

"Now, lets see..." The Doctor trailed off, eyeing the glass globe. "Multi-nucleate, crystalline organism with the ability to mimic and mirror what it finds."

Lexi tapped the glass. "In other words, it's snow that isn't actually snow."

"You both must leave here now!" Simeon demanded.

"Shut up, we're making deductions, it's very exciting." The Doctor waved him off. "Now, what are you, eh?" He questioned, twirling his cane as he paced.

"Could be a flock of space crystals. Maybe a swarm." Lexi thought out loud, swinging her umbrella as she passed by the Doctor, nether of them really paying attention to Simeon as he went to a panel on the wall before turning a handle and ringing a bell for help.

"The snowmen are foot soldiers, mindless predators." The Doctor stated. "But you - you're the clever one. You're Moriarty."

"So, what does Moriarty do?" Lexi mused, a smirk on her face. "Let's see, you turn up on a planet and you generate a telepathic field to learn what you can." She stated, distracting Simeon as the Doctor used the sonic over his own shoulder. "So, what happens when you've learnt enough? What do you do then? Because I'll tell you, you can't conquer the world with snowmen. They're pretty rubbish in July. Nah, you'll have to be better than that."

"She's right. And I'm sure you know what you'll have to do." The Doctor informed him, coming stand next to Lexi. "One word: Evolve."

"Sir!" The clerk's voice came from the other side of the door, outside the study. "It appears to be stuck!"

"What have you done?" Simeon questioned them as he went to the door and pulled on the handles. "Have you locked the doors?"

"You need to translate yourself into something more, well, human." Lexi shrugged. "I should know. I used to be one of them."

"Kick it down!" Simeon banged on the door.

"But see, to do that you'd need a perfect duplicate of human DNA in ice form." The Doctor stroked his chin in thought.

"Where would you find that?" Lexi questioned, her and the Doctor turning to look at Simeon's desk.

"Sir?" The clerk's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Get in here!" Simeon commanded. "Quickly!"

"I've got a master key somewhere, sir." The clerk replied.

"Let's see." The Doctor said as he and Lexi quickly went to the desk. "Most opened file..." He then tossed the files in the air. "most viewed page." He and Lexi watched as the file fell open to the floor.

"You really should delete your history." Lexi chuckled, stabbing the page's title with the end of her umbrella. "'Tutor and governess frozen in pond'." She smirked. "Gotcha."

"Got it, sir!" The clerk said from outside the door.

"Get in here!" Simeon ordered just before two footmen entered. "Take them downstairs."

They then turned only to see that the Doctor and Lexi were now gone, both of them having slipped through another door to the outside.

 _Outside, Latimer house, Front, Night_...

"Bodies frozen in a pond, the snow gets a good look at a human being, in this case: two human beings, like full body scans. Everything they need to evolve." Lexi said as she and the Doctor walked along the border of the pond, scanning it with their sonic screwdrivers. "Pond... Clara and Lucas really made a good point."

The Doctor nodded in agreement as he stared down at the pond, catching sight of a certain potato out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing here?" The Doctor asked Strax as he walked up behind him and Lexi.

"Madame Vastra and your children were wondering if you two were in need of any grenades." Strax informed them.

"Grenades?" Lexi questioned, squinting at him.

"They might have said help."

"Help for what?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, your investigation."

"Investigation?" Lexi raised an eyebrow at the little potato man. "Who says we're investigating?"

"Yeah." The Doctor stated in agreement. "Do you think we're gonna start investigating just because some birds smile at us?" He pointed at Strax. "Who do you think we are?" He then turned away.

"Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson." Strax replied, making Lexi let out a laugh.

"Oh, that was good, Strax!" Lexi giggled. "Thank you."

The Doctor rolled his eyes as he stepped down from the border of the pond. "Don't be clever, Strax. It doesn't suit you."

"Sorry, sir." He apologized.

"I'm the clever one," The Doctor said, poking Strax between the eyes. "you're the potato one."

"Yes, sir."

"Now go away." The Doctor told him before climbing into the pond edge again next to Lexi.

Strax then turned around before walking off. "Yes... Mr. Holmes."

"Oi!" The Doctor shouted after him. "Shut up, you're not clever or funny and you've got tiny little legs!"

"Don't worry, Strax! I, Dr. Johanna Watson, think you are very funny!" Lexi laughed.

The Doctor huffed amusedly. "You never change, do you?"

"Would you want me to?" She smirked at him.

He smiled back at her, lifting her hand and giving it a kiss.

"Never."

Just then, light shined on the Doctor and Lexi as Clara and Lucas opened the curtains of an upstairs window. They waved and the Doctor and Lexi nervously waved back.

Lucas and Clara then motioned for them to come up, the Doctor and Lexi pointing at themselves and then at them as they questioned their intentions.

The Doctor and Lexi then turned around and huddled together.

"Okay, so we'll just tell them that we're leaving and not going up." Lexi stated quietly.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "All we have to do is say no and then we turn around and walk away."

"Gotcha." Lexi nodded before she and the Doctor turned back, the Doctor holding up his hand signaling 'five' as Lexi gave a thumbs up. Lexi quickly shook her head. "What was all that about? Why'd I do that?"

"Five minutes?" The Doctor smacked his head. "Where did that come from?"

Lexi looked to her hand, scowling at her thumb. "I'm officially revoking your thumbs up privileges."

"Well, come on, then." The Doctor sighed, taking her hand before the two of them walked away, neither of them seeing that the ice on the pond was cracking.

 _Outside, Street_...

Sky, Jupiter, Strax, Vastra and Jenny were watching the Latimer House.

"It's the human male from the Institute." Strax stated as they all watched a carriage pull up with Simeon inside it.

"What's he doing here?" Jupiter questioned as she walked up behind Strax.

"I suggest we melt his brain using projectile acid fish, and then interrogate him." Strax suggested, making Jupiter, Sky, Vastra and Jenny stare at him. "Other way round."

 _Inside, Latimer house, Upstairs sitting room_...

"Are we going to have the nightmares tonight?" Francesca questioned as she, Digby and Clara sat in front of the fireplace, a crackling fire inside it.

"Not with these your not." Lucas smiled as he entered the room with a tray of steaming cups of hot cocoa.

"I thought we weren't allowed to have sweets before bed." Digby stated.

"It's Christmas, it can be our little secret." Clara smiled as Lucas came and sat the tray down beside them before handing out the cups of the sweet chocolate drink.

"But how can you really know we won't have the nightmares?" Francesca asked before taking a sip of hot cocoa.

"Because there are a couple of people who are coming to help." Lucas told her as he handed a cup of hot cocoa to Digby.

"Who?" Digby asked before taking a sip of the sweet chocolate drink.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Clara smile before taking a sip of hot cocoa herself.

"Is it one of your stories?" Francesca asked excitedly. "Your definitely true ones?"

"All our stories are true." Lucas said as he took a sip of hot chocolate.

"Like how Miss Montague was born behind the clock face of Big Ben?" Digby questioned.

"Accounting for my acute sense of time." Clara nodded.

"Or how Mister Devereaux invented fish?" Francesca questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I dislike swimming alone." Lucas confirmed.

"So what's this one, then?" Digby asked.

Lucas smiled. "There's this couple. They're called the Doctor and the Glorious."

"They live on a cloud in the sky." Clara added. "And all they do, all day everyday, is to stop all the children in the world ever having bad dreams."

"We've been having bad dreams." Francesca pointed out.

"They've been on holiday." Lucas informed. "But, we are confident they have now returned to work."

Clara nodded in agreement before noticing a candle they had sitting on the nearby coffee table flicker, making her smirk.

"And as a matter of fact, they're right here." Clara stated as the door to the sitting room they were in opened slowly. "Aren't you?"

The four of them all looked to the door just as a woman and man, both made of ice, stepped through; making them all scream.

It was the governess and tutor.

The four of them all quickly abandoned there cups of hot chocolate and got up off the floor and backed away.

"Bloomin' hell!" Clara and Lucas exclaimed in unison as they stood protectively in front of the children.

"The children have been very naughty!" The ice governess said as she and ice tutor began advancing on them.

"Get back, now, quickly." Lucas said as he and Clara and children continued to back away.

"You're using your other voices." Digby stated.

"Yes, love, did you notice?" Clara responded.

"Naughty, naughty children!"

Lucas's eyes widened. "RUN!"

The four of them all quickly made a run for the playroom across the hall before Lucas bolted the door top to bottom.

"What do we do?" Francesca asked, frightened.

"Frannie, Digby, imagine them melting." Clara told the children, holding them by the arms.

"What?!" Digby just about shouted.

"In your head, melt them!" Lucas said, rushing to them from the other side of the room.

"We can't!" Francesca insisted.

"We're getting impatient!" The ice tutor exclaimed from the other side of the door just before it opened, letting him and the ice governess step through.

"You have been VERY naughty!" The ice governess scolded.

"What about the couple?" Digby questioned. "You said they were here, the cloud couple."

"Well, they're not here, are they?" Clara said.

"Where's the Doctor and the Glorious?" Digby asked frantically.

"We don't know!"

The Doctor perked up from behind the puppet booth, then used a Punch puppet and popped it through the curtains.

"Doctor?" He asked in the voice as he poked the sonic through the curtains. "Doctor who?"

The giant window-doors to outside then swung open, making everyone turn to see a woman with her umbrella blocking the view of her upper body.

"Glorious?" The woman asked, moving the umbrella out of the way to reveal that it was indeed Lexi with a smirk on her face. "Glorious who?"

She and the Doctor then simultaneously used their sonic screwdrivers on the ice governess and ice tutor, making them shatter to pieces.

"That's the way to do it!" The Doctor grinned, making the puppet go for his face. "Oi, ow!"

"Wrong! We just got lucky." Lexi laughed as she hopped down from the windowsill. "Although, the new settings on our sonics did help."

"True." The Doctor agreed as he went and kneeled down by where the governess and tutor shattered.

"Where did they go?" Francesca asked as Lexi came over to where the Doctor was, the couple using their sonics on the remains of the two shattered ice people. "Will they come back?"

"No, don't worry." The Doctor answered. "They're currently draining through your carpet."

"New settings, anti-freeze." Lexi explained as the Doctor stood back up.

"And you're very welcome, by the way." The Doctor added as he and Lexi put away their sonics.

"Thank you." Lucas told them. "We knew you'd come."

"No, you didn't." Lexi shook her head. "Because we didn't even know."

"This isn't exactly the thing we do anymore." The Doctor said in agreement as he began walking around, taking off his scarf. "So next time you're in trouble, don't expect us to..."

The Doctor stopped talking when he saw himself in the mirror, just now realizing that he was actually wearing his bow tie.

"What's the matter, dear?" Lexi questioned as she walked up behind him.

"Nothing, it's just... Didn't even realize I'd put it on." He said quietly. "Did you notice it?"

"Well... yeah." She confessed as she moved around to be beside him. "I just didn't wanna say anything."

"Thank you." He told her before looking back at himself in the mirror. "Old habits, I suppose."

Lexi smiled slightly as she watched her husband straighten the bow tie like he had done so long ago.

"It's cooler." Clara suddenly spoke up from where she, Lucas and the children were standing; watching as snow continued to fall outside and frost form on the windows.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" The Doctor smiled. "It's very cool. Bow ties are cool."

"No, it's the room..." Lucas said slowly. "The room is getting cooler."

The Doctor and Lexi turned back to them just as the rug moved as a couple of certain somethings grew underneath it.

"They're coming back!" Francesca exclaimed, frightened.

"What are they going to do?" Digby asked quickly. "Are they coming for us? Are they going to reprimand us?"

"Uh... uh..." The Doctor muttered as he Lexi tried to use their sonics again, but sighed in frustration when they didn't work. "They've learnt not to melt. Of course, they're not really a governess and tutor, they're just beasts. They're going to eat you."

"In other words," Lexi said as the Doctor grabbed the children by the hand while she grabbed Clara and Lucas by the hand. "run!"

The Doctor and Lexi quickly pulled everyone away, slamming the door of the playroom shut.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Front hall_...

They all ran down the front stairs only to stop when Captain Latimer confronted them.

"Children, what is the explana-" Captain Latimer stopped when he noticed the two new people. "Who devil are you two? What are you doing in my house?"

"It's okay." The Doctor assured. "We're your governess and tutor's friends, and we've just been upstairs... playing Twister!"

Lexi face-palmed. "It's 1892... You're about seventy four years too early on that game, dear."

"Captain Latimer!" The maid, Alice, exclaimed as she ran in. "In the garden, there's snowmen! And they're just growing, out of nowhere, all by themselves - look!"

She went to open the front door and gasped when she saw who was there.

"Good evening." Vastra greeted politely, her veil thrown back as she was arm-in-arm with Jenny. "I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time and this is my wife."

The maid screamed and then ran to a side-door and opened it, stopping short when two people were standing in her way.

"Hello, I'm Jupiter Pond and this is my brother, Skyler." Jupiter smiled, her arm looped through Sky's. "The man and woman at the top of the stairs are our actual parents even though they look the same age as us."

Wide eyes, the maid backed up only to bump into Strax.

He grinned toothily and held up his gun. "This dwelling is under attack. Remain calm, human scum!"

The maid screamed again, then fainted.

"And that did it." Lexi sighed before clapping her hands together, looking around at everyone else. "So... any questions?"

"You have a gentleman friend?" Captain Latimer asked Clara, making her sigh.

"Vastra, what's happening?" The Doctor asked as he and Lexi walked to a window in the parlor.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Parlor_...

"This snow is highly localized." Vastra replied as she, Jenny, Sky, Jupiter and Strax entered the parlor. "And on this occasion, not naturally occurring."

"It's coming out that cab parked by the gates." Sky added.

"Sir, one pulver grenade would blow these snowmen to smithereens." Strax stated, giving his opinion.

"No." Lexi immediately objected.

"They're made of snow, Strax," The Doctor said, tugging on Strax's ear. "they're already smithereens."

"See, Clara, Lucas? Our friends again." Lexi questioned as she went back into the front hall.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Front hall_...

"Who are Clara and Lucas?" Captain Latimer frowned.

"Your current governess and tutor are in reality a former barmaid and bartender called Clara and Lucas." The Doctor responded as he re-entered the front hall.

"That's the way to do it!" The ice governess exclaimed as she and the ice tutor shuffled their way to the top of the stairs.

"Wrong! We just got lucky." The tutor shouted.

"And meanwhile," Lexi began. "Your previous governess and tutor are now living ice sculptures impersonating Mr. Punch and myself. Jenny, what've you got?"

Jenny then threw a grenade that opened a forcefield around the ice governess and ice tutor. "That should hold them."

"Sir, ma'am," Strax said, looking into the study before looking back to the Doctor and Lexi. "this room - one observational window on the line of attack and one defendable entrance."

"Right, everyone in there now. Move it." The Doctor instructed before looking to Captain Latimer and pointing to Alice the maid as she laid unconscious on the floor still. "You, carry her."

Latimer quickly picked up Alice before following Clara, Lucas and the children to the study.

Lexi tilted her head, standing at the bottom of the stairs as she looked up to where ice governess and ice tutor were trapped. She then took out her sonic as the Doctor walked up next to her, both of them using their sonic screwdrivers on the two ice people.

"Nice to see you two off your cloud and engaging again." Vastra commented as she walked up behind the couple.

"We're not engaging again." Lexi denied. "We're under attack."

"Still, you missed this, didn't you?"

The Doctor and Lexi swung around, aiming their sonics at Vastra as the governess and tutor kept pounding on the field.

"Shut up!" They said before walking past her and into the study.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

"Strax, how long have we got?" Lexi asked as she and the Doctor walked into the room. Francesca and Digby were sitting in a corner as Clara and Lucas crouched down in front of them while Captain Latimer set a now conscious Alice down in a chair.

"They're not going to attack." Strax replied. "They made no attempt to conceal their arrival. An attack force would never abandon surprise so easily - and they're clearly in a defense formation."

"Ha!" The Doctor fake-boxed Strax. "Well done, Straxie, still got it!" He rubbed the top of Strax's head before kissing it.

Strax grimaced. "Sir, please do not noogie me during combat prep."

"So, there's something they want." Jupiter spoke up, coming up to where the Doctor and Strax were.

"The Ice Woman!" Clara realized.

"The Ice Man!" Lucas exclaimed as he and Clara stood up.

"Exactly." Lexi nodded.

"But why are they so important?" Sky questioned.

"Because they're perfect duplications of human DNA in ice crystal form." The Doctor explained. "The ultimate fusions of snow and humanity. To live here, the snow needs to evolve - and they're the blueprints. They're what they need to become."

"Wait!" Lexi cut in, rushing to Lucas and Clara and grabbing them by the arms. "When the snow melted last night, did the pond?"

"No." They immediately said.

"Living ice that will never melt." Lexi grinned, turning to the Doctor. "So, if the snow gets hold of those two creatures on the stairs, it'll learn to make more of them."

"It would build an army of ice." The Doctor stated as he put all the pieces together. "And it would be the last day of humanity on this planet."

The doorbell then rang.

"Well, what else is new?" Lexi smirked.

The Doctor grinned, grabbing Lexi's hand before they ran from the room.

"Stay here!" They shouted to everyone before slamming the door behind them.

Clara huffed, turning to Lucas. "Those two are insane... I kinda like it."

Lucas chuckled.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Front hall_...

The Doctor and Lexi quickly ran out into the front hall, grinning like maniacs.

"You know, I have missed this." Lexi told him.

"You know..." He said, grabbing her by the small of her back and dipping her and kissing her passionately before bringing her to stand up right again. "So have I."

Lexi grinned at him before they both headed for the door.

The Doctor opened the front door to reveal Dr. Simeon.

The Doctor and Lexi put on their stern faces and walked up to Simeon so they were all face-to-face-to-face.

"Release them to us." Simeon ordered as more snowmen began to rise behind him. "You have five minutes."

"And a Merry Christmas to you!" Lexi shouted after Simeon as he walked away.

Lexi and the Doctor closed the door again before walking back through the front hall.

"We need to get them out of here." The Doctor stated as he and Lexi walked up to and stood by the doors of the study, now seeing that Lucas, Clara and Captain Latimer were standing in front of them.

"Yeah." Lexi agreed. "But, we also need to keep both of them away from them."

"How could you manage that?" Clara questioned.

"That's funny." Lexi said, glancing at her. "I thought the Doctor and I told you to stay inside the study."

"Oh, yeah?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Well, guess what. We didn't listen."

"Clearly." Lexi rolled her eyes before she began pacing, snagging her umbrella out of the umbrella stand she had stuck it in when they had gotten downstairs. She then began swinging it as she paced. "Think, think, think!"

"Lex..." The Doctor stated slowly, eyeing her umbrella.

"What?" She glanced at him before looking to where he was looking. "Oh... Oh! Stupid! Did I really forget?"

"I think you've been with me too long." The Doctor chuckled.

"Not possible." She grinned.

"Okay, back to the problem at hand." Captain Latimer said, getting their attention. "What are those creatures outside?"

"No danger to you, as long as my wife and I can get those things out of here." The Doctor said before pointing at Captain Latimer. "You, in the study - now."

The Doctor and Lexi then went and ran partway up the stairs and used their sonics on the forcefield.

"What are you two doing?" Lucas asked as he and Clara ran up behind them.

"Between the four of us, I can't wait to find out." Lexi stated as she and the Doctor moved the field behind them - and Clara and Lucas.

"Now, if you look after everyone here, then we can..." The Doctor said before he realized Clara and Lucas were within the forcefield. "Clara! Lucas!"

"Doctor! Glorious!" They shouted just before the ice governess and ice tutor lunged at them, but they all dodged past them; the Doctor holding Clara's hand and Lexi holding Lucas's hand as they all ran up the stairs.

"That was stupid!" The Doctor scolded them.

"You were stupid, too!" Clara shot back.

"He's allowed." Lexi stated. "He's good at stupid!"

"Oi!" The Doctor glanced at her.

"That's the way to do it!"

"Wrong! We just got lucky."

Everyone turned to see the ice people following them.

"Why do they keep saying those things?" Clara questioned.

They all stopped at the landing, Lucas and Clara standing behind the Doctor and Lexi as Lexi swung the umbrella at them.

"It's mirroring, random mirroring." Lexi told them.

"Right, we need to get to the roof." The Doctor stated.

"This way!" Lucas and Clara exclaimed as they grabbed the Doctor and Lexi's hands before pulling them along.

"I thought the hand grabbing was our thing!" Lexi glanced at the Doctor.

"It always is!" He replied as they all kept running.

 _Outside, Latimer house, Roof_...

The Doctor stepped onto the roof through a window. "Come on, quickly!"

"Uh, dear, my bustle is stuck!" Lexi grunted as she tried to get through window.

The Doctor stopped and turned around. "Your bustle?!"

"Oi, you try wearing one these dresses!" Lexi rolled her eyes as he came over to the window and put his arms around her before pulling, making them fall to the roof, Lexi lying on top of him.

"You're going to have to take those clothes off." The Doctor told her as he laid underneath her.

Lexi smirked, not being able to resist saying the next thing that came out of her mouth.

"I know I'm irresistible, sweetheart, but really? Here? I mean, we do have company."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

She grinned at him, giving a quick peck to his nose before getting off of him and to her feet again just as Lucas helped Clara through the window.

"Okay, if you two are done flirting, mind telling us what the plan is?" Lucas questioned as the Doctor got to his feet.

"You tell us." Lexi smirked, lightly hitting the palm of her hand with her umbrella. "I mean, if we've got a plan, what is it?"

Right then, the ice governess and ice tutor arrived just inside the window.

"That's the way to do it!"

"Wrong! We just got lucky."

"Is this a test?" Clara tilted her head in question as she eyed the couple.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"What will it do?" Lucas asked.

"Kill us." Lexi told him.

"That's the way to do it!"

"Wrong! We just got lucky."

The ice governess and ice tutor then began to turn into snow before blowing through the window.

"Come on, you're both clever." Lexi tisked, tapping the floor with her umbrella. "Do we have a plan?"

"'Course you do, we knew straight away." Clara crossed her arms as the snow began to swirl as the ice governess and ice tutor began to reform.

"No, you didn't." The Doctor replied, crossing his arms like her.

"'Course we did." Lucas stated, crossing his arms.

"Tell us, then." Lexi smiled, holding the umbrella against her shoulder.

"Why should we?" Clara questioned.

"Because we'll be dead in under thirty seconds." The Doctor responded. "Now, do we have a plan?"

"Alright, if it's deductions you want, then dedications you shall get." Lucas smirked. "If we'd been escaping, we'd be climbing down the building."

"And?" Lexi grinned.

"If we'd been hiding," Clara continued. "we'd be on the other side of the roof."

"And yet," Lucas began. "the four of us are standing right here, in this spot."

"So?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"So..." Lucas said slowly. "Why is the Glorious the only one out of the four of us that doesn't have her arms crossed?"

"The answer is, of course..." Clara began. "because she's holding the umbrella."

"Mind using it?" Lucas asked her.

Lexi and the Doctor grinned at the duo before Lexi reached up with the umbrella and pulled down the ladder.

"After you." The Doctor motioned for Clara to go.

"No, after you." She told him. "I'm wearing a dress. Eyes front, soldier!"

"My eyes are always front!" He denied as he began climbing up the ladder.

"Yeah, well, mine definitely aren't." Lexi tilted her head, giggling.

"Oi!" The Doctor looked down at Lexi. "Is now really the time?"

"Oh, it's always the time." She grinned as she began heading up after the Doctor.

"I like them." Lucas glanced at Clara.

"I do, too." She giggled before she and Lucas turned to face the ice governess and ice tutor. "We understand that you're both the previous governess and tutor, correct?"

"Because we regret to inform you two that the positions have been taken." Lucas said before he and Clara stepped onto the ladder "Cheerio."

The ladder then retracted, Clara and Lucas riding it up as the ice governess and ice tutor could only watch.

 _Outside, Night sky_...

Clara and Lucas reached the landing at the base of the spiral staircase where the Doctor and Lexi were waiting.

"So you two can move your cloud?" Clara asked them. "You can control it."

"No, no one can control clouds, that would be silly." The Doctor told her. "The wind, a little bit."

The ladder then began to shake, making all four of them look down.

"They're following us!" Lucas's eyes widened.

"That's the idea. Keep them away from the snow." Lexi said as she and the Doctor began running up the staircase. "So, you two, governess and tutor or barmaid and bartender, which are they?"

Clara rolled her eyes as she and Lucas followed after Lexi and the Doctor. "Those things are after us, and you want a chat?"

"Well, we can't exactly chat after we've been horribly killed, can we?" The Doctor retorted as they all continued to run up the stairs.

"How did we get so high up so quickly?" Lucas questioned, glancing around and seeing how far above London they actually were.

"It's a clever staircase." Lexi told him, smirking. "It's taller on the inside."

The four of them then reached the top of the staircase, the cloud. The Doctor and Lexi quickly turned around and aimed their sonics down the staircase.

"What are we standing on?" Clara asked as she looked at the cloud beneath her feet. "What's this made of?"

"Super-dense water vapor." The Doctor replied. "Should keep them trapped, for the moment.

They all then crossed the cloud to the TARDIS that was battered and burned.

"So you actually live up here?" Lucas questioned, glancing around. "On a cloud, in a box?"

"We have done, for a long time." Lexi nodded.

"You two really know how to sulk, don't you?" Clara questioned, making Lucas chuckle.

"Oi, we're not sulking!" The Doctor frowned.

"You two live in a box!" Lucas laughed.

"That, my dear Lucas," Lexi began. "is no more a box than you and Miss Clara are a tutor and governess."

"Oh, is that so?" Clara asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know, you're the same as all the rest. Lucas and I get this all the time, and it is infuriating."

"Sweet little Clara, kind and handsome Lucas, both work at the Rose and Crown, ideas above their station." Lucas continued. "I might be kind and I may be handsome, but don't let this exterior fool you."

"And I'll have you know," Clara added as she and Lucas stormed after the Doctor and Lexi as they entered the TARDIS. "I'm not sweet on the inside, and I'm certainly not-"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor switched on the TARDIS lights, revealing what was really on the inside. Clara and Lucas froze where they stood, stunned speechless.

"Little." Clara mumbled.

"She's called the TARDIS." Lexi said proudly as she set her umbrella aside before going to stand beside the Doctor.

"She can travel anywhere in time and space." The Doctor added as he grabbed Lexi's hand.

The couple grinned at Clara and Lucas.

"And she's ours."

"But it's..." Lucas trailed off, glancing all around.

"How is it.. I mean, look at it! It's..." Clara stammered.

"Go on, say it." The Doctor grinned smugly. "Most people do."

Clara and Lucas ran outside.

"This is exciting." Lexi grinned. "I've never been on this side of things before."

 _Outside, Night sky_...

Lucas and Clara ran around the exterior of the TARDIS, touching its sides before going back inside.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"It's smaller on the outside!" They declared.

The Doctor blinked. "Okay, that is a first."

Lexi pouted a little, slightly disappointed. "I was really looking forward to hearing... well, you know."

"Is it magic?" Lucas questioned as he and Clara walked around the console.

"Is it a machine?" Clara added.

"She's a ship." The Doctor corrected.

"A ship?" Lucas raised an eyebrow as he looked over the railing down to the bottom of the console room while Clara walked partway up one set of stairs right next to him.

"Is there a kitchen?" Clara asked as she walked back down to the console.

"Another first." The Doctor nodded.

"I don't know why I asked that." Clara frowned slightly. "It's just... I like making soufflés."

The Doctor looked up slowly from where he was messing with some controls on the console. "Soufflés?"

"Say, does this 'ship' have a library?" Lucas questioned as he walked past Lexi.

"Best library you could possibly wish for." Lexi confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just... the American author, Nathanial Hawthorne, I like reading his stories." Lucas confessed.

"Is that so?" Lexi tilted her head. "Lucas, are you sure we haven't met before? No brief encounters anywhere that I'm just not remembering?"

"No." He chuckled. "Believe me, I think I'd remember if I'd met you."

"I don't get it." Clara said as Lucas came and joined her where she stood by the open TARDIS doors. "Why are the both of you showing us all this?"

"You followed us, remember." The Doctor pointed out before turning back to console.

"He's right." Lexi agreed as she walked around from behind the console before turning to type something into the keyboard. "We didn't invite you."

"It is peculiar, though." Lucas stated, making the Doctor and Lexi turn to look at him and Clara. "Why could you possibly feel that we'd be suited for all this? Why us?"

Lexi felt the Doctor slip something into her left hand as he reached into his pocket with his other hand.

"I never know why." The Doctor stated as he and Lexi approached the two. The Doctor held up a TARDIS key before placing it in the palm of Clara's hand and enclosing her fingers around. "I only know who."

"And I may not have as much experience, well, any experience in this sort of thing like the Doctor does." Lexi said as she unfolded her left hand to reveal a TARDIS key the Doctor had placed in there. She then gently took Lucas's hand before softly placing the key in his palm and enclosing his fingers around it. "But, I certainly know potential when I see it."

Clara and Lucas slowly looked up from their hands that held the keys. "What is this?"

"Us. Giving in." Lexi smiled slightly.

Lucas felt I single tear escape the corner of his eye. "I don't know why I'm crying. I never cry."

"I'm crying, too." Clara sniffled. "Why?"

"I know. Because remember this - this right now, remember all of it." The Doctor grinned. "Because this is the day. This is the THE day. This is the day everything begins!"

Clara and Lucas smiled as they watched the Doctor and Lexi start cranking up the console - and then, they each felt icy hands grab them from behind. They cried out, dropping the keys as the ice governess and ice tutor pulled them from the TARDIS.

"Clara!" The Doctor shouted.

"Lucas!" Lexi exclaimed as she and the Doctor ran for the door.

 _Outside, Night sky_...

"Got off me!" Clara struggled as the ice governess pulled her backwards.

"Water vapor doesn't stop ice, I should've realized!" The Doctor exclaimed as he and Lexi exited the TARDIS, aiming their sonics at the ice governess and ice tutor.

"Get off!" Lucas struggled against the ice tutor's grip.

"Let then go!" Lexi commanded. "Let them go now! NOW!"

"Get off me!" Clara and Lucas shouted as they reached the edge of the cloud.

"No!" Lexi ran forward. "Lucas!"

"Clara!" The Doctor cried out as the ice governess and ice tutor pulled their respective captives off the edge of the cloud, all of them now falling towards the ground far below.

The Doctor and Lexi ran to the edge and leaned over.

"NO!"

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

Everyone gathered in the study heard a couple of thuds come from outside.

Sky, Jupiter, Vastra and Jenny all looked out the window into the front yard and saw Lucas and Clara lying in the snow surrounded by snowmen.

"It's Lucas and Clara." Jupiter stated, shocked while Vastra looked down at her handheld device.

"Dear God." Captain Latimer said as he came and joined them at the window. "Oh, dear God, where did they fall from?"

Just then, Vastra's device read 'No Life Signs Detected'.

"We have to get them inside." Captain Latimer stated as he headed for the door.

"Those things will kill you!" Sky called after him.

"They're hurt."

"They're dead." Vastra informed him.

Captain Latimer stopped at the door and looked back at Vastra.

Vastra and Jenny then turned back to the window with Sky and Jupiter.

 _Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_

"What's that?" Captain Latimer asked. "What is happening?!"

Jupiter watched as the TARDIS materialized around Lucas and Clara's bodies.

"They're bringing them in."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Lexi couldn't help but let a few tears stream down her face as she and the Doctor looked at Lucas and Clara lying lifeless on the floor of the TARDIS, chunks of ice, remains of the governess and tutor, scattered about them.


	9. The Snowmen: Part 4 - FINAL

_Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study, Night_...

Clara and Lucas were laying on two tables as Strax scanned them with Vastra's device.

A pulsing red light of energy floated above them as Captain Latimer stood at the opposite side of the table from Strax. Jenny, Sky and Jupiter stood back against the wall as Vastra stood behind Strax.

"The green woman said they were dead." Captain Latimer spoke to Strax. "How can they be alive now?"

"This technology has capacities and abilities beyond anything your puny human mind could possibly understand." Strax told him. "Try not to worry."

Sky and Jupiter sighed simultaneously, both of them sharing a look before pushing off the wall and going and entering the TARDIS as it sat on the other side of the room.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor and Lexi were standing by the console using their sonic screwdrivers on a couple pieces of ice from the governess and tutor.

Lexi sighed, tossing the piece of ice she was holding over her shoulder as the Doctor put a piece into a tin box decorated with a map of the London Underground resting on the console. He then took out another piece of ice, repeating the process.

"Aren't those creatures still a danger?" Sky questioned as he and Jupiter entered. "I mean, could they return?"

"No, not in here." The Doctor shook his head.

"Then shouldn't you and Mum go and be with Clara and Lucas?" Jupiter asked.

"They're going to be fine." Lexi insisted. "They have to be. They just have to."

"Mum, I looked at Vastra's device." Sky informed her. "That equipment out there, it'll bring back anyone for a little while, but long term..."

"It was our fault." The Doctor looked to his son. "Your Mum and I are responsible for what happened to them. They were in our care."

"Dad, what's the point of blaming yourselves?" Jupiter asked earnestly,

"None." Lexi responded as she and the Doctor walked passed them, heading for the door. "Because they're going to live."

Sky and Jupiter shared a looked before following their parents out of the TARDIS.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

The Doctor and Lexi stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor handing the box of ice to Jenny before he and Lexi walked over to Clara as Sky and Jupiter stepped out of the TARDIS.

Lexi went around to Lucas's side as the Doctor went to Clara's.

Lexi leaned over, taking one of Lucas's hands in hers as she stroked his hair, the Doctor doing the same with Clara.

Lucas opened his eyes, staring weakly up at Lexi.

"Hello." Lexi whispered, a sad smile on her face.

"Hello, Clara." The Doctor whispered as Clara opened her eyes.

"They all think we're going to die, don't they?" She asked weakly.

"And we know you're both going to live." Lexi whispered, kissing Lucas's hand.

"How?" He asked weakly.

"I never know how." The Doctor whispered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a TARDIS key before placing it Clara's hand. "I just know who."

"And you know what?" Lexi whispered as she gently placed a TARDIS key in Lucas's hand. "You're only just beginning."

"The green lady..." Lucas said weakly. "She said that you used to be happy... and that you were a radiant being who brought joyfulness to everyone you came across... you're not really happy and you've lost your shine."

"You're right." Lexi sniffled. "But I need you to help me get it back."

"You..." Clara spoke up, weakly stroking the Doctor cheek with her thumb. "The green lady said you were the saver of worlds once... Are you going to save this one?"

"If I do, will you come away with me?" The Doctor whispered.

"Will you help me, Lucas?" Lexi whispered, stroking his knuckles with her thumb.

"Yes." Clara said weakly.

Lucas nodded weakly. "Yes."

"Well, then." Lexi whispered, kissing Lucas's forehead. "Merry Christmas."

The Doctor kissed Clara's forehead before he and Lexi stood back up straight. Both of them then went to Jenny, the Doctor taking the box from her before he and Lexi left the room.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Front hall_...

Lexi opened the front door, revealing Simeon standing there, surrounded by snowmen.

The Doctor held up the tin box. "I have in my hand pieces of the Ice Lady and the Ice Man. Everything you need to know about how to make ice people."

"Is that what you want, Dr. Simeon?" Lexi called to him.

"See you at the office!" The Doctor shouted to him before Lexi closed the door.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor and Lexi strode into the TARDIS, Vastra following behind them. She shut the door as the Couple of Time began furiously working the controls.

"So then, saving the world again?" Vastra questioned as she walked up to them. "Might I ask why? Are you two making a bargain with the universe? You'll save the world to let them live?"

"Yes!" Lexi whipped around to face her. "Two of the most important people in my life were taken away from me, Vastra. Snatched away like it was nothing! Granted, that was over twenty five years ago. But, that does not mean it hurts any less than the day it happened!"

"And don't you think," The Doctor began. "after all this time, all the God forsaken things I've saved everyone from, that we're owed this one?"

Vastra shook her head sadly. "I don't think the universe makes bargains."

"It was our fault." Lexi said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well then," Vastra gave her a small smile, putting a hand to her cheek. "better save the world."

"And we're at it again." The Doctor muttered before setting the TARDIS in motion.

 _Inside, Great Intelligence HQ, Study_...

Simeon opened the door to his office to the Doctor was sitting at his desk, legs crossed and resting on its surface as Lexi leaned against the desk herself while Vastra stood behind them.

"You promised us something." Simeon stated. "Have you brought it?"

"Big fella here's been very quiet while you've been out - which is only to be expected considering who he really is." The Doctor said as he stood and held up the tin box. "Know what this is, big fella?" He asked before walking to the center of the room.

"I do not understand these markings." The Intelligence replied.

"It's a map of the London Underground, 1967 - key strategic weakness in metropolitan living, at least that's my opinion." Lexi chimed in, pushing off the desk and walking to join the Doctor in the center of the room. "Then again, I've never really been too fond of tunnels..."

"Enough of this." The Intelligence spoke. "We are powerful, but on this planet we are limited. We need to learn to take human form. The Governess and Tutor are our most perfect replication of humanity..."

Lexi took out her sonic behind her back and used it on the Intelligence, causing its voice to change, turning to that of a young boy.

"What's happening to its voice?" Vastra questioned.

"She's just stripping away the disguise." The Doctor informed.

"No, stop! Stop that!" The Intelligence demanded. "Cease, I command you!"

Simeon slowly fell back against the desk for support.

Vastra tilted her head. "It sounds like a child."

"Of course it sounds like a child, it IS a child." The Doctor confirmed. "Simeon as a child, the snow has no voice without him."

"Don't listen to him, they're ruining everything!" The Intelligence objected.

"How long has the Intelligence been talking to you, Dr. Simeon?" Lexi questioned.

"I was a little boy." He replied. "He was my snowman... He spoke to me."

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK (1842)

 _Outside, Back garden, Day_...

Young Walter Simeon was making his snowman.

"They're silly." The snowman spoke to him.

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

"But the snow doesn't talk, does it - it's just a mirror." The Doctor stated as he and Lexi walked up to Simeon.

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK (1842)

 _Outside, Back garden, Day_...

"I don't want to talk to them." Little Walter said to the snowman. "They're silly."

"They're silly." The snowman responded.

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

"It just reflects everything back that we think and feel and fear." Lexi said as she crossed her arms.

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK (1842)

 _Outside, Back garden, Day_...

"I don't need anyone else." Little Walter told the snowman.

"Don't need anyone else." The snowman mimicked back.

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

"You poured your darkest dreams into a snowman - and look," The Doctor pointed to big globe. "look what it became!"

"I don't understand." Vastra spoke up.

Lexi gestured to the globe. "That is a parasite that's feeding on the loneliness of a child and the sickness of an old man."

"It's carnivorous snow meets Victorian values... and something terrible is born." The Doctor added.

"We can go on!" The Intelligence insisted. "And do everything we planned."

"Oh, yes, and what a plan it is!" Lexi rolled her eyes. "A world full of living ice people. Wow, that really is very Victorian of you."

"What's wrong with Victorian values?" Simeon questioned before lunging at the Doctor and grabbing the box of ice, making Vastra come forward to take it back, but the Doctor and Lexi held up their hands.

"Are you sure?" The Doctor questioned Simeon.

"I have always been sure!" He insisted before opening the box and reaching in to take a piece of ice. Instead, he grabbed the memory worm which then bit his hand, making him groan and keel over on his side.

"Good." Lexi smiled coldly, bending over. "I'm glad that you think so. You know, since your entire adult life is about to be erased."

"See?" The Doctor questioned. "No parasite without a host, Simeon. Without you, it will have no voice. Without the governess and tutor, it will have no form."

"What... What's happening, what's happening, what did you do?" The Intelligence asked frantically.

"You've got nothing left to mirror any more." The Doctor said. "Goodbye."

"What did you... Did you... Did you..." The Intelligence's voice and energy faded away before resuming as if nothing happened. "Did you really think it would be so easy?"

"That shouldn't happen!" Lexi exclaimed. "How is that possible?"

Vastra looked over to the Window. "Look!"

The Doctor and Lexi quickly ran over and looked out the window at the snow.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

"They're growing!" Jenny exclaimed as she and Jupiter looked at the window at the snowmen.

"Sky, come look!" Jupiter said. "The snowmen are growing!"

Sky rushed to window, quickly followed by Captain Latimer.

Captain Latimer's eyes widened. "What do we do?"

 _Inside, Great Intelligence HQ, Study_...

The Doctor, Lexi and Vastra stood at the base of the globe.

"But you were just Dr. Simeon." The Doctor insisted. "You're not real, he dreamed you. How can you still exist?"

"Now the dream outlives the dreamer and can never die. Once I was the puppet. Now I pull the strings!" The Intelligence exclaimed as Simeon rose up from the floor behind them, charged with electricity. The Intelligence then spoke through him. "I have tried so long to take on human form. By erasing Simeon, you made space for me." It said as Simeon's face was blue with cold, frost covering his skin. "I fill him now."

Vastra quickly pulled her sword from its sheath and moved to attack Simeon, but he flung her aside. He then put his hands around the Doctor and Lexi's throats, pushing them down to the floor.

"More than snow, more than Simeon - even this old body is strong in my control."

Simeon then reached his hands to touch the Doctor -'d Lexi's faces, their skin. The Couple of Time groaned in pain.

"Do you feel it?"

Simeon's hands touched the Doctor and Lexi's faces, making steam rise from their skin as the heat left their bodies and their skin began to turn blue and cold.

"Winter is coming! Winter is coming!"

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

Strax was watching over Clara as Jupiter watched over Lucas so he wouldn't be alone.

"No, you must fight!" Strax told Clara. "Hang on and fight, boy, you can do it!"

"Just hold on, Lucas." Jupiter whispered, gripping his hand.

"Captain Latimer..." Clara whispered weakly, making Captain Latimer come to stand beside the table and grip her hand. "your children... they are afraid. Hold them."

He looked to his children before looking back at Clara. "It's not really... my area."

She smiled weakly. "It is now."

"Who are you?" Lucas whispered, as he weakly looked up at Jupiter.

Jupiter crouched down beside him, smiling sadly. "My name is Jupiter. Jupiter Pond."

"It's very nice to meet you." He smiled weakly as a single tear fell from his eyes.

Clara weakly grabbed Lucas's hand from where she laid beside him, a tear of her own rolling down her cheek.

Outside, there was a flash of lightening, making Jenny and Sky turn to look out the window to see the snow turning to rain.

 _Inside, Great Intelligence HQ, Study_...

The snow inside the globe turned to water as Simeon fell back from the Doctor and curled up in pain.

"What's happening?" The Intelligence asked.

The Doctor and Lexi quickly moved to Simeon to examine him as Vastra got up and looked at the globe.

"Doctor! Alexis!" Vastra exclaimed. "The globe. It's turning to rain. All of it, the snow, look."

The Couple of Time glanced at the globe before turning back to Simeon. Simeon himself looked at his trembling hands before dropping them to his side.

Lexi quickly felt for a pulse. "He's dead."

"What happened?" Vastra questioned.

"The snow mirrors, that's all it does." The Doctor stated. "It's mirroring something else now. Something so strong, it's drowning everything else." He then ran to the window, Lexi following quickly behind him.

The duo opened it and let the rain fall into fall into their palms.

"There was a critical mass of snow at the house." The Doctor stated.

"So if something happened there..." Lexi trailed off as she licked her hand.

Vastra stuck her hand out the window before tasting the rain herself. "Salty. Salt water rain."

"It's not raining. It's crying." The Doctor corrected. "The only force on Earth that could drown the snow, a whole family crying on Christmas Eve."

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

Clara and Lucas's tears fell to the floor to be absorbed by the rug.

 _Inside, Great Intelligence HQ, Study_...

The Doctor and Lexi looked at Vastra before running to the TARDIS.

 _Outside, Latimer house, Front_...

Like ice cream cones on a hot day, the snowmen started to melt in the rain.

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study_...

The Doctor, Lexi, and Vastra stepped out from the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry." Strax told them. "There was nothing to be done. They have moments only."

Captain Latimer had his arms around Francesca and Digby as they cried against his chest. Digby turned his head and watched as the Doctor and Lexi approached the two tables and kneeled.

"We saved the world, Clara." The Doctor whispered. "You, me, Lucas and the Glorious. We really, really did."

Lucas gripped Lexi's hand as tightly as he could. "Will you go back... to your cloud?"

"No." She whispered back.

"Never again." The Doctor affirmed.

"Why not?" Clara asked weakly as she closed her eyes.

"It rained." He whispered, bowing his head.

"Might I ask... one last question?" Lucas requested weakly as Lexi stroked his knuckles with her thumb.

"Anything." Lexi whispered back.

"Glorious who?"

Lexi smiled sadly. "Pond. Lexi Pond."

"I like that name." He smiled weakly as he closed his eyes, Lexi sniffling as she bowed her head.

Clara quipped the Doctor's hand as tightly as she could "Run."

The Doctor lifted his head.

"Run, you clever boy." She whispered, opening her eyes. "And remember..."

"Lexi..." Lucas whispered, making Lexi look back up at him. "Run... Run, you glorious girl, and remember..."

Clara and Lucas let go of the Doctor and Lexi's hands as they each took their final breaths before the last bit of life left their bodies just before church bells began to ring outside.

"It's Christmas." Jenny said sadly. "Christmas Day."

Lexi slowly got to her feet before she walked to the TARDIS, ignoring everything around her.

"No." She thought to herself. "It can't be him again. After all this time, just... no."

 _Outside, Graveyard, Day_...

Captain Latimer, Francesca and Digby stood by the side of Clara and Lucas's freshly-dug graves.

The Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Jupiter, Vastra and Jenny watched from a distance; Vastra wearing her veil as the Doctor and Lexi held bouquets of flowers.

"And what about the Intelligence?" Vastra questioned. "Melted with the snow?"

"No, I shouldn't think so." The Doctor replied. "It learned to survive beyond physical form."

"Well, we can't be in much danger from a disembodied Intelligence that thinks it can invade the world with snowmen." Jenny commented.

"Or that the London Underground is a key strategic weakness." Vastra pointed out, making Lexi sigh internally at the memory of what she had said to Simeon.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the calling card he had taken from Simeon. "The Great Intelligence... rings a bell... the Great Intelligence?"

They all watched as Captain Latimer and the children left, the Doctor and Lexi then approaching the two graves.

"Mum? Dad?" Sky questioned, sharing a look with his sister before they, Vastra and Jenny walked over to find the Doctor and Lexi kneeling by the graves, looking at the headstones. They looked up at their approach before turning back to the markers.

"We never knew their names, their full names." The Doctor stated as he and Lexi looked at the headstones.

~o0o~

 **CLARA**

 **OSWIN**

 **OSWALD**

 _REMEMBER ME_

 _FOR WE SHALL MEET AGAIN_

BORN

NOVEMBER 23 1866

DIED

DECEMBER 24 1892

~o0o~

~o0o~

 **LUCAS**

 **HAWTHORNE**

 **HARPER**

 _And we will run..._

BORN

SEPTEMBER 1 1863

DIED

DECEMBER 24 1892

~o0o~

"Hello again." Lexi whispered as she traced Lucas's carved named with her finger.

" _Oswin Oswald and Hawthorne Harper, junior entertainment managers, Starship Alaska._ " Oswin's voice was in the Doctor's head.

"Soufflé girl..." The Doctor trailed off. "Oswin - it was her."

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK ( **Asylum of the Daleks** )

 _Inside, Asylum_...

Oswin sat in her chair and tucked up her legs. "Run, you clever boy and remember..."

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study, Night_...

"Run, you clever boy..." A dying Clara whispered.

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK ( **Asylum of the Daleks** )

 _Inside, Asylum_...

"...and remember."

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, Latimer's house, Study, Night_...

"...and remember."

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

 _Outside, Graveyard, Day_...

"I remember so long ago when I first met him." Lexi said softly.

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK ( **The Curse of the Black Spot** )

 _Inside, Captain Avery's cabin, Night_...

"I like the excitement of new places." Lucius told Lexi as he sat across from her at the small table in the middle of the room. "...I wanted to escape my boring life and do something just... different."

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

"I felt like I knew him." Lexi stated. "I just couldn't remember how well."

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK ( **A Good Man Goes to War** )

 _Inside, Demons Run, Hangar_...

"Run... Run, you glorious girl, and remember me..." Was the last thing Liam whispered, taking one last breath before the life left his eyes and his grip on Lexi's hand let go.

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

"It's been so long since I've heard those words, that I almost forgot about them." Lexi informed. "He comes into my life out of nowhere and then just... gets snatched away from me each time."

 ** _~o0o~_**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, Latimer house, Latimer's Study, Night_...

"Lexi..." Lucas whispered, making Lexi look back up at him. "Run... Run, you glorious girl, and remember..."

END OF FLASHBACK

 ** _~o0o~_**

"It was them again." The Doctor stated, getting to his feet before helping Lexi to hers.

"I mean, I know we never saw their faces with the Daleks, but their voices, they were the same voices." Lexi said, glancing at the Doctor.

"I know you told me you had ran into Mr. Harper before." The Doctor said as he looked to Lexi. "But, we never put the pieces together until now. This is the first time we've seen both of their faces with both of them together."

"Doctor, Alexis?!" Jenny tried to get their attention.

"The same man and woman." Lexi laughed. "Mr. Harper has been in and out of my life four times over the past twenty seven years or so. The same man!"

"And I finally know how you feel!" The Doctor grinned. "The same woman has come to me twice."

"And all the times we've met them," Lexi said. "they died. Every time."

"The same man and woman!" The Doctor laughed.

"Doctor, Alexis, what are you talking about?" Vastra asked them.

"Something's going on, something impossible, something..." The Doctor muttered as he and Lexi backed away. "Right, Vastra, Jenny, you two stay here, stay right here, don't move an inch."

"And Sky, Jupiter, if you two don't feel like being left behind, I suggest you follow me and your father." Lexi grinned before she and the Doctor turned and hurried away.

"Well, brother mine, let's get going." Jupiter said grabbing Sky's hand before the two of them rushed after their parents.

"Are you coming back?" Vastra called after them.

"Probably not!" Lexi called over her shoulder.

"But where are you going?"

The Doctor and Lexi stopped and turned around.

"To find them, to find Clara and Lucas." The Doctor grinned.

"The original Clara and Lucas. The ones connected to all the versions we've seen!" Lexi laughed before she and the Doctor turned back around and ran off, Sky and Jupiter running after them.

"But Clara and Lucas are dead." Jenny stated, looking to Vastra. "What're they talking about, finding them?"

"I don't know, but perhaps the universe makes bargains after all." Vastra replied, looking at the two headstones, seeing how underneath Clara's name it said ' ** _Remember me for we shall meet again_** ' and underneath Lucas's name it said ' ** _And we will run..._** '.

* * *

 **A/N: There ya have it! Hope you lovely people enjoyed it! ️**

 **Fact: Lucas's birthday (September 1) is when " _Asylum of the Daleks_ " first aired.**

 **So, I know I kinda cut off the last little bit/scene of the modern day/present day graveyard that was in " _The Snowmen_ ". BUT, I have that planned for next. I just felt it fit better as it's own tiny little chapter.**

 **I'll get that published as soon as I go through and proofread it for y'all! ️**

 **Until then! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	10. Watch us Run

**A/N: Hey there! 😁**

 **Yes! :) We finally get a glimpse of modern/original Lucas and modern/original Clara! 🎉**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

PRESENT DAY (2013)

 _Outside, Graveyard, Day_...

Clara Oswin Oswald's and Lucas Hawthorne Harper's graves remained in the cemetery, but over a century later, the gravestones were chipped and mottled with age and moss as vines grew over them, blocking the names.

An eerily familiar girl walked through the graveyard, heading for the exit.

"Where are you going?" Her friend shouted after her.

The girl stopped beside Clara Oswin Oswald's gravestone.

"Short cut!" She answered.

"Through there? I hate this place! Don't you think it's creepy?"

The doppelgänger of Oswin Oswald and Clara Oswin Oswald grinned.

"Nah." She looked over her shoulder. "I don't believe in ghosts."

"Oh, come on." The look-alike of Lucius Harper, Liam Harper, Hawthorne Harper and Lucas Hawthorne Harper popped up from behind Lucas Hawthorne Harper's gravestone, making the girl jump. He grinned. "You never enjoy a good ghost story?"

The girl rolled her eyes playfully before grabbing her friend by the hand and tugging him along through the rest of graveyard as their other friend followed behind them nervously.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor ran down from the upper level ringing the console room as he grinned like the madman he was.

And with her hair now unpinned and flowing freely down her shoulders, Lexi ran down from the upper level and grinned like that madwoman she knew herself to be.

"Clara! Oswin! Oswald!" The Doctor exclaimed, punctuating his words by flipping a switch on a different panel.

"Lucas! Hawthorne! Harper!" Lexi exclaimed, punctuating her words by flipping the levers on the console as she and the Doctor went to the two monitors.

On one side of the Doctor's screen, there was Oswin Oswald's ID. On the other side was Clara Oswin Oswald.

On the four sections of Lexi's screen were the pictures of Lucius Harper, Liam Harper, Hawthorne Harper and Lucas Hawthorne Harper.

It's was absolutely impossible.

A man and a woman, each saying the same words when they died.

It was impossibly mad.

Then again, the Couple of Time always did enjoy a good mystery.

"Our Impossibles..." The Doctor and Lexi muttered, looking up at each, their eyes alight as their lips curled into identical smirks. "Watch us run."

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it!**

 **I hope you liked that! 😁 I REALLY DID! 💕**

 **I'm getting even more excited for the rest of this book. It's gonna be a lot of fun!**

 **Anyway, a sort of prequel to " _The Bells of Saint John_ " is coming up next. :)**

 **I'll get to work on that a soon as I can. ❤️**

 **So...**

 **Until next time! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	11. Closer Than You Think

**A/N: Hello! 😁**

 **I thought this would be fun to put in. I mean, it's basically my version of the prequel to " _The Bells of Saint John_ ". 💖**

 **Note: Sky and Jupiter are not featured in this. We won't see them until " _The Bells of Saint John_ " actually starts. ❤️**

 **Anyway, basically what this is, is that the Doctor and Lexi are a bit despondent that they can't seem to find Clara and Lucas. However, I believe our Couple of Time might just get some encouragement from two unlikely little sources. 😉**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

Blackpool, Lancashire, England (1993)

 _Outside, Park, Day_...

The Doctor sat on a swing in a park as a little girl ran up to the one next to him.

"Hello." The little girl greeted.

"Hello." The Doctor gave her a small smile.

"Why are you sitting on the swing?" She asked.

"Why shouldn't I?" He questioned.

"Because you're old." The little girl giggled.

"Yeah, that's true." The Doctor chuckled. "That... that... that is very true."

 _With Lexi_...

With her carved polymer clay journal that had a blue owl in the center of a thirteen hour clock sitting open on her lap, Lexi sat on bench a little distance from the swings of the park she and the Doctor were currently visiting. She glanced up and saw a little girl run up next to where the Doctor sat on a swing.

Lexi then looked back down to her journal in her lap, furrowing her eyebrows as she let her thoughts be consumed with what was written on the page she had it opened to.

~o0o~

 **The Impossible Man**

 **" _Run... Run, you glorious girl, and remember me..._ " –Mr. Harper**

 _• Lucius ~ Selfless Pirate_

 _• Liam ~ Fearless Soldier_

 _• Hawthorne ~ Unfortunate Explorer_

 _• Lucas Hawthorne ~ Adventurous Tutor_

~o0o~

"Hello." A voice greeted, making Lexi look up to see a little boy about 10 years old or so as he walked up to her before taking a seat on the bench next to her.

"Hello." She smiled at the little boy as she shut her journal.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She questioned him, a slight smile on her face.

"You look sad." The little boy pointed out.

Lexi gave him a small smile before looking back down to her closed journal.

"Yeah. I suppose I am."

 _With the Doctor_...

"My Mum says I shouldn't talk to strange men." The little girl told the Doctor.

"Ah." He nodded. "You're Mum's right."

"Are you strange?" She questioned, titling her head.

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, dear, I'm way past strange. I think I'm probably incredible."

The little girl laughed before eyeing the Doctor closely. "Are you lonely?"

"Why would I be lonely?" He asked her.

"Because you're sad." She told him. "Have you lost something?"

"No." He answered.

 _With Lexi_...

"I don't like seeing people sad." The little boy told Lexi.

"That's a good thing." Lexi replied.

"Sad people make other people sad." He said. "Why are you sad? Have you lost something?"

 _With the Doctor_...

"When I lose something," The little girl began to explain to the Doctor. "I go to a quiet place, and I close my eyes, and then I can remember where I put it."

"Good plan." The Doctor nodded.

"I'm always losing things." She told him. "I lost my best pencil, my school bag, my gran, and my mojo."

"Your mojo?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"I got I back though." She smiled.

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Hey, that's good."

 _With Lexi_...

"I lost my friend." Lexi told the little boy. "I met him four times before and I lost him each time, and now I'm not too sure if I'll ever find him again."

"That is sad." The little boy nodded. "Have you been looking for him?"

"Oh, yeah." She nodded. "Everywhere."

"That's even sadder." He told her.

"You're right about that." Lexi laughed before looking to the little boy. "Say, you don't sound like your from around this area."

"I'm not." The little boy shook his head. "Me, my Dad and my Mum are up from London to visit from friends."

"Oh?" She tilted her head. "And are you having a good time?"

"Yeah." The little boy nodded before looking to the swings and pointing to the little girl the Doctor was talking to. "That's my friend talking to that man over there."

Lexi looked to where the little boy was pointing, tilting her head in thought as she saw the little girl talking to the Doctor.

 _With the Doctor_...

"What did you lose." The little girl asked.

"My friend." The Doctor told her. "I met her twice before and I lost her both times and now I don't think I'll ever find her again."

"Have you been looking?" She questioned.

"Yeah, everywhere." He nodded.

"That's sad." The little girl frowned slightly.

"It is a bit." The Doctor admitted before pointing to a woman a little distance away as she stood, talking to a man. "Is that your Mum?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I better go and see if she's alright."

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed. "I think you better had."

"How are you gonna find her?" The little girl asked him.

 _With Lexi_...

"How are you gonna find your friend?" The little boy asked, making Lexi look back to him.

"That's the thing," Lexi began. "I don't really know. I was hoping that maybe if I wandered around a bit, I'd just end up running into him like all the other times. Like destiny, I suppose."

"I don't mean to be rude," The little boy said. "but that sounds rubbish. Maybe you should go to a quiet place and have good think about it for a while."

"I think you're probably right." Lexi laughed. "And you know what? That is a good idea." She said before pointing to a man a little distance away as he stood, talking to a woman. "Is that your Dad?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I should probably get back to him. He says I shouldn't talk to strangers."

Lexi gave the little boy a small smile. "Your Dad's right."

 _With the Doctor_...

"Well, the first two times I met my friend, I just sort of bumped into her." The Doctor replied. "So I thought, maybe, if I just wandered about a bit I might bump into her again. You know, like... like destiny. Sort of."

"That's rubbish." She giggled.

"I think it probably is." He admitted. "Hey, maybe I could find a quiet room and have a good think about it instead."

"That would be better." The little girl nodded before getting up to run to her mother. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye." The Doctor gave her a little wave.

The little girl stopped and turn to look at him. "Mister, I hope you find her again."

He smiled slightly. "So do I."

 _With Lexi_...

"It was nice talking to you." The little boy said as he stood up from the bench to walk back to his Dad. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye." Lexi waved at him.

The little boy stopped and turned back to her. "Miss, I hope you find him again."

Lexi smiled. "I do, too."

 _With the little boy's Dad and the little girl's Mum_...

"Who was that?" The little girl's mother asked as her daughter ran up to her.

"I was talking to a sad man..." She answered.

"Who was that you were talking to, son?" The little boy's father asked as his son ran up to him.

"I was talking a sad lady." He replied.

The mother of the little girl crouched down in front of her daughter to be more at her eye-level. "Clara Oswald, what have I told you about talking to strange men?"

The father of the little boy crouched down in front of his son and put his hands on his shoulders. "Lucas Harper, what have I told you about talking to strangers?"

 _With the Doctor and Lexi_...

"Have a good talk?" Lexi questioned, her journal tucked under arm as she and the Doctor exited the park.

"I think so." He nodded. "You?"

"Same." She replied. "I think we need to get away and think for a bit."

The Doctor nodded, taking her hand as they walked down the sidewalk away from the park.

"Couldn't agree more."

* * *

 **A/N: There you go! 😁**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! ❤️**

 **I thought it was pretty cute. 💕**

 **Anyway, this was the prequel to our next episode, which is... " _The Bells of Saint John_ "! That's gonna be fun. 😃**

 **So...**

 **Until then! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	12. The Bells of Saint John: Part 1

**A/N: Hello! *waves while grinning excitedly***

 **I've been waiting FOREVER to get to this episode! The reason? I hope it's obvious.**

 **Also, in this episode we'll get to see Lexi pick out her own signature look! Remember, I talked about this in the AN at the end of this book's prologue. It's something that this version of her will always wear the rest of her time with us. Like 11 with the new coat.**

 **Anyway, guest stars anyone? 😁**

 **~o0o~**

 **Guest Starring**

• _Emma Stone_ as Jupiter Pond

• _Richard Madden_ as Skyler "Sky" Pond

AND

 ** _Officially introducing our new companions..._**

• _Jenna Coleman_ as **Clara Oswald** (A.k.a. Companion to The Doctor)

• _Tom Hiddleston_ as **Lucas Harper** (A.k.a. Companion to The Glorious)

 **~o0o~**

 **Yay! Who's excited that Lexi gets her own companion?!**

 **I'm really excited for Lexi and Lucas to begin their partnership of traveling the universe together! 💕**

 **Like seriously, the TARDIS team of the Doctor, Lexi, Lucas and Clara is going to be so much fun to write! (And hopefully fun for y'all to read. )**

 **And it should also be fun for Jupiter and Sky to pop in and out as well for adventures. 'Cause you know, the majority of this book is when they're hopping back in time and having the adventures we've already seen them in. And I know that I already put the 2nd part of their timeline in its own chapter at the beginning of this book, but I'll just make it a bit more clear and say what episodes in this book they won't be in. And when I don't mention an episode, that means that they both WILL be in it. (Example: both of the twins will be in "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS".)**

 **Episodes of "Dying Embers" that the Time Twins won't be in:**

 **• "The Rings of Akhaten" (Neither of them will be in this.)**

 **• "Cold War" (Sky will be in this, but Jupiter won't be.)**

 **• "Hide" (Jupiter will be in this, but Sky won't be.)**

 **• "The Crimson Horror" (Neither of them will be in this.)**

 **• "Nightmare in Silver" (Neither of them will be in this.)**

 **Everything after "Nightmare in Silver" ("The Name of the Doctor", "The Day of the Doctor" and "The Time of the Doctor and the Glorious") will feature both Sky and Jupiter.**

 **I hope all that made sense.**

 **But yeah, in the future, whenever there are guest appearances in episodes by different people, Tom and Jenna won't be listed since they are now series regulars!**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna shut up now and actually begin this episode. ️**

 **So, with all of that said, let us read... "The Bells of Saint John"! ️ ️**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

CUMBRIA (1207)

 _Outside, Monastery, Day_...

A monk pounded on the large door of the abbey, turning away in frustration when there was no answer as he pushed back his cowl. He then went back to the door and began pounding on it again just before the window of a small door opened, the monk looking in.

"Wake the Abbot." He said. "The bells of Saint John are ringing!"

 _Outside, Monastery, Courtyard_...

The Abbot came outside and walked up to the monk. "We must go to them."

 _Inside, Monastery, Hall_...

"They call them the Mad Monk and the Nutty Nun, don't they?" The monk questioned, carrying a torch as he and the Abbot walked down the hall.

"They shouldn't." The Abbot replied. "He's definitely not a monk. And I'm not sure of what she is, but she is most certainly not a nun."

 _Inside, Monastery, Cavernous room_...

The Abbot and the monk entered a room where a nun and monk sat at a table while another nun and monk sat right next to them, playing a game of chess. Two paintings on easels were behind them.

"I'm sorry to intrude." The Abbot cleared his throat, getting the four people's attention. "The bells of Saint John are ringing."

The two nuns turned around to reveal they were Lexi and Jupiter as the two monks stood and removed their hoods to reveal they were the Doctor and Sky.

"We're going to need horses." The Doctor and Lexi told them before they, Sky and Jupiter walked away to a smaller room to the back; letting the Abbot and monk get better looks at the paintings that were on the easels.

They were of Clara Oswin Oswald and Lucas Hawthorne Harper dressed as they had last seen them, the Victorian governess and tutor.

Along the bottom of the painting of Clara Oswin Oswald were the words ' ** _Run_** **_you_** **clever** **_boy,_** **_and_** **_remember_** '.

And along the bottom of the painting of Lucas Hawthorne Harper were the words ' ** _Run you glorious girl, and remember_** '.

The monk stepped forward to get a closer look at the paintings. "Is that them?"

"The woman twice dead and the man four times dead, and their final messages." The Abbot stated. "They have withdrawn to this place of peace and solitude that they might divine their meaning. If he truly is mad, and if she really is as nutty as they say, then this is the cause of it."

 _Inside, Maitland house, Present Day_...

"Angie, is the internet working?" Clara Oswald asked as she paced the floor while she waited on the phone for someone to pick up the other line. "Trying to phone the helpline, they won't answer."

"It's working for me." The girl replied as she sat at the kitchen table on her laptop.

"Can I use it when you're finished?"

"More than one person can use the internet at a time, Clara."

"You sure?" Lucas Harper asked as he entered the kitchen, messing with his iPad. "'Cause this is really getting on my nerves."

"And you call yourself a teacher." Angie rolled her eyes.

"I am a teacher." Lucas shot back as he sat down across from her, still looking at his iPad. "This wi-Fi is acting weird."

Angie looked up from her laptop. "How can wi-Fi act weird?"

"Who knows?" Clara huffed as she sat down at the table before glancing at Angie. "Have you done your homework?"

"Shut up, you're not my Mum." She rolled her eyes, looking back down to her laptop.

"And I'm not trying to be, okay?" Clara gave her a look just as Angie's dad, George Maitland, entered the kitchen.

"Right." George pat his pockets, looking for his keys just as his son, Artie, entered the room, holding the keys up. "Yes." George sighed, grabbing the keys from his son before looking to Clara. "Angie's probably fine on her own, you could probably have the night off."

"I'm okay." Clara told him as she stood up from kitchen table. "I'll be upstairs trying to figure out my computer."

"Anyway, the adverts are in, so hopefully we'll find someone." George said as he put on his jacket.

"I'm here as long as you need me." Clara assured him.

"Good." He smiled before looking to Lucas. "You crashing on the couch tonight?"

"Nah." Lucas shook his head, looking up from his iPad. "I need to go home and use tomorrow to actually grade papers. Been putting it off long enough."

"Right." George nodded before looking to Artie. "Come on, Artie, time to go." He said before heading to the door.

Clara took the book Artie was holding, seeing that it had two young girls with red hair, holding flashlights as they peered out from behind a tree while a young blonde boy and a young brunette boy were standing a little distance behind them. The book itself was called 'Summer Falls' and it was written by Amelia Williams.

"What chapter are you on?" Clara asked Artie.

"Ten." He answered.

"Eleven's the best." She smiled. "You'll cry your eyes out."

"I don't know." Lucas stated. "One's pretty good, too."

"Artie!" George called from the front door.

Clara quickly handed Artie his book back before he rushed off to join his father.

"Oh, come on, just answer, just pick it up, pick it up." Clara muttered as she left the kitchen, Lucas soon following her.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Clara's room_...

Clara spun around the post in her loft room before sitting at her desk and reaching tentatively at her open netbook. Lucas soon entered the room and plopped himself down on Clara's bed as he continued to try and access the wi-Fi on his iPad.

Clara put the phone on speaker and set it aside and then began tapping a few keys before moving the cursor to the wi-Fi icon. At the top was the connection labeled 'Maitland Family' while below it was some weird looking symbols.

"What the hell is that?" Lucas muttered as looked at the wi-Fi options on the screen of his iPad, seeing the weird looking symbols below the 'Maitland Family' wi-Fi option. He shrugged before tapping the Maitland's connection, then trying to remember what the password was.

 _Outside, Woods, Cumbria 1207_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Jupiter and Sky dismounted from their horses and walked with the monk as another one stayed with the horses.

They soon saw that another monk was waiting with a torch outside a stone doorway that lead into an underground cavern.

 _Inside, Cave_...

The monk lead the way with the torch as the Doctor, Lexi and the twins followed; all of them being able to hear the ringing of a telephone.

At the end of the tunnel stood the TARDIS, its light shining like a beacon.

"That shouldn't happen." Sky stated bluntly as they continued to listen the TARDIS's phone ring,

"How right you are." The Doctor agreed as he cautiously walked up to the TARDIS and opened the panel with the phone. "Hello?"

"Ah, hello." A woman's voice came through the phone. "I can't find the internet."

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor questioned, confused.

"It's not that we can't find the internet." A man's voice then came through the phone. "I mean really, who says they can't find the internet?"

"The internet?" The Doctor questioned again.

"I did!" The woman told her friend before talking into the phone again. "Anyway, it's gone. Can't find it anywhere? Where is it?"

"You're asking me about the internet?" The Doctor asked her.

"Yes, the internet." She replied. "Why don't I have the internet?"

The Doctor walked away from the TARDIS a bit, the phone still pressed against his ear. "It's 1207."

"Wait." The man's voice spoke up. "The clock says half past three. Are we phoning a different time zone?"

"Yeah, you really sort of are." The Doctor replied, scratching his head in thought.

"Will it show up on the bill?" The woman asked.

"Oh, I dread to think." The Doctor stated, pacing the room as he tangled the cord. "Listen, where did you two get this number?"

"Some woman in a shop." The man replied.

"This is the helpline, isn't it?" The woman asked him. "She said it was the best helpline out there."

"Not only that, she called it the best helpline in the whole universe." The man added. "A bit weird if you ask me but, you know. Worth a shot, eh?"

"What woman are you talking about?" The Doctor questioned. "Who was she?"

"Dunno, the woman in the shop." The woman's voice replied. "Now, why isn't there internet? Shouldn't it just sort of... be there?"

"Look, listen, I'm not actually... this isn't..." The Doctor tried to get the right words out. "...You have clicked on the Wi-Fi button, haven't you?"

"Hang on." She said. "Em... Wi-Fi?"

"Click on the Wi-Fi." The Doctor sighed. "You'll see a list of names. Is there one you recognize?"

"It's asking me for a password."

"Is it okay if I go and see Nina?" A young girl's voice asked. "You can call her Mum."

"Sure." The woman told her.

"Hey, Angie, what's the Wi-Fi password?" The man's voice asked.

"RYCBYGGAR123."

"How are we supposed to remember that?"

"Is it an evil spirit?" The monk asked, gaining the Doctor's attention.

"It's a woman." The Doctor told him.

Jupiter rolled her eyes when she saw the monk cross himself. "I don't know if you've noticed, but, well, hello."

The monk quickly stopped.

The Doctor covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "It's also a man."

Lexi tilted her head curiously.

"Hang on. Just a mo." The woman's voice said. "Run you clever boy you glorious girl and remember. One two three-"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "What did you say?!"

"Oi, no need to shout." The man's voice came over the phone. The man who had to be Lucas, and by association, the woman who he was with had to be Clara.

The Doctor looked to Lexi, Sky and Jupiter and jabbed his finger at the phone and mouthed " _It's_ _them!_ "; making their eyes widen in surprise.

Lexi quickly grabbed the twins' hands, making them all run and scramble into the TARDIS.

"Now you made me type it wrong. It's thrown me out again. What do I do? How do I get back in?"

 _Inside, Maitland house, Clara's room, Day_...

"It's just a thing to remember the password." Clara continued, unaware the Doctor had hung up. "Lucas, have you got it?" She asked, glancing back at her friend as he sat on her bed.

"No." Lucas huffed. "I was typing it into my iPad, but that man's shouting messed me up." He then looked back down to his iPad screen and touched the Wi-Fi option with the weird symbols while muttering. "Run you clever boy you glorious girl and remember..."

"Hang on." Clara spoke into the phone, she and Lucas both standing up when they heard the doorbell ring.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Front hall_...

"We hear you!" Lucas called down to whoever was knocking on the door and ringing the bell.

"Yep. Uh-huh." Clara said as she and Lucas walked to the door, opening it. "Hello?"

The two friends kinda just stood there, seeing one man in a monk's robe, a woman in a nun's, a man behind them in jeans, a maroon T-shirt, and a dark blue jacket, and another woman in a grey tank top, maroon skinny jeans, a black jumper, and a maroon infinity scarf.

"Hello?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at the four people.

"Clara?" The Doctor questioned. "Clara Oswald?"

"Lucas Harper." Lexi grinned as she looked at Lucas, her eyes bright.

"Hello." The two friends frowned uneasily. Who were these people and how did they know their names?

The definitely didn't know them.

"Clara Oswin Oswald?" The Doctor asked again.

"Lucas Hawthorne Harper?" Lexi asked quickly, the wide smile never leaving her face.

"Just Clara Oswald." Clara shook her head.

"And it's just Lucas Harper." Lucas frowned, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "What were those middle ones?"

"Do you remember us?" The Doctor asked.

"No." Clara frowned. "Should we? Who are you?"

"The Doctor and the Glorious?" Lexi questioned. "No? The Doctor and the Glorious?"

"Doctor who?" Clara tilted her head.

"Glorious who?" Lucas asked, uncrossing his arms.

"No, just the Doctor." The Doctor replied before suddenly grinning. "Actually, sorry, could you ask me all that again?"

"And I'd really appreciate if you'd ask me one more time as well." Lexi smiled at Lucas.

"You want us to what?" Clara asked as she and Lucas stared at them.

"Could you just ask us those questions again?" The Doctor repeated.

Clara scowled. "Doctor who?"

Lucas quirked an eyebrow. "Glorious who?"

"Yeah, that's it." Lexi grinned.

"Could you say it just one more time?" The Doctor requested, making Clara frown.

"Doctor who?"

"And, Lucas dear, I'd appreciate it all the more if you'd ask me that question just one more time." Lexi smiled.

"Glorious who?"

"Ooh, yeah." The Doctor grinned. "Ooh. Do you know, I never realized how much I enjoy hearing that said out loud. Thank you."

"And you know." Lexi sighed happily. "I'm really starting to like the sound of 'Glorious who?'. Thank you very much."

"O-kay." Clara frowned as she and Lucas took steps back.

"Bye now." Lucas said before shutting the door in their faces.

 _Outside, Maitland house, Front_...

"Hey!" The Doctor and Lexi shouted, banging on the door.

"Clara, Lucas, please!" Lexi shouted. "We need to talk to you!"

"Please, we just need to speak to you." The Doctor agreed.

"Why are you still hear?" Lucas's voice asked via the intercom. "Why are you here at all?"

"Oi!" The Doctor scowled. "You phoned us. You were looking for the internet."

"That was you?" Clara's voice asked.

"Of course it was him!" Lexi huffed.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"We just happened to be in the neighborhood." The Doctor replied. "You know, on the mobile phone."

Lexi pointed over her shoulder at the TARDIS.

"When you say mobile phone, why do you point at that blue box?" Lucas questioned.

"You know, it's actually a surprisingly accurate description." Jupiter chimed in, making Sky snigger.

"Okay, we're finished now."

"You know, I'm not one to tell you two what to do, but..." Sky began, making the Doctor and Lexi turn to look at him. "maybe, and this is just a suggestion, maybe you should have changed your clothes before we got here like me and Jupe did."

"Yes!" Lexi agreed quickly, snapping her fingers at her son. "Let's do that. In fact, let's do that right now." She then grabbed the Doctor's hand before pulling him towards the TARDIS.

"Don't be a monk or a nun." The Doctor announced as they rushed into the TARDIS. "They are not cool."

"This is going splendidly, don't you think?" Jupiter smirked as she and Sky headed to the TARDIS.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Sky rolled his eyes as he opened the TARDIS door, him and Jupiter stepping inside before shutting the door behind them.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Front hall_...

Lucas shut off the intercom just before he and Clara heard a couple floorboards creak.

"Angie?" Lucas asked as he looked up the stairs.

"Angie, you upstairs?" Clara called up the stairs. "Angie, you still here?"

Clara and Lucas blinked as two identical young girls in old-fashioned clothes slowly walked down the stairs, stopping partway down.

"Hello." Lucas and Clara greeted unsurely.

"Hello." The girls replied.

"Are you friends of Angie?" Clara enquired.

"We're friends of Angie." The girls stated.

"What were you doing upstairs?" Lucas asked them.

"We were upstairs." They responded.

"I know you, don't I?" Clara tilted her head.

"You know us, don't you?"

"Wait..." Lucas thought for a moment as Clara glanced at him.

The two friends' eyes widened when they recognized the girls on the front of Artie's book, then gasped when both girls' heads each did a 180, revealing concave 'dishes', the 'bowls' of 'spoons'.

Lucas and Clara could only stare as the two 'dishes' ran digital information.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"No fez!" Jupiter called down to her father on the lower level as she and Sky stood by the console.

"I wonder what Mum's picking out?" Sky wondered out loud.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Wardrobe_...

"Okay, okay, okay." Lexi muttered as she quickly thumbed through the numerous racks of clothes the TARDIS wardrobe possessed. "Something new, something me, something... Aha!"

She grinned as she pulled a pair of black skinny jeans off a hanger, hopping around as she put those on before quickly grabbing and sliding on a purple loose-knit elbow-length sleeve cotton t-shirt.

"Okay, jacket, jacket, jacket..." She muttered as she ran up the wide spiral staircase in the middle of the wardrobe that lead to more levels of clothes. She stopped as she found a level with hundreds and hundreds of outerwear choices.

She thumbed through a few racks of long coats before seeing one that caught her eye.

"Ooh, I like you." Lexi smiled before sliding on an emerald green oversized waterfall Duster coat that went to just a little above her ankles.

"Okay..." She muttered, running back down the wide spiral staircase. "Shoes. I need shoes. Sexy, I need shoes!"

The TARDIS hummed in response before Lexi heard a whoosh of displaced air, making her turn to see a pair of red Converse high-tops sitting on the bottom step of the wide spiral staircase.

"Really?" Lexi questioned as she eyed the shoes before she turned to go over to where she had seen a door that lead to a room of other shoes, but stopped when the door slammed shut. Lexi scowled and looked up. "Did you do that?"

The TARDIS hummed nonchalantly (if that was possible).

Lexi huffed and turned around and almost tripped over the red Converse high-tops that were now right next to where she was standing.

Lexi looked up. "You really want me to wear those?"

The TARDIS just hummed, seemingly ignoring Lexi.

"Fine." Lexi rolled her eyes playfully, sitting down on the floor before she began putting on the shoes. "If you want me to wear the red Converse high-tops, I'll wear the red Converse high-tops. They don't actually look too bad with my new look, anyway."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Okay." The Doctor clapped his hands together as he ran back up to the console. "How do I look?"

"Better." Jupiter smiled slightly as she and Sky looked at their father as he now wore a white shirt with a purple waistcoat, a purple bow tie around his neck.

"Not bad." Lexi's voice commented, drawing everyone's attentions to see her walk down a set of stairs to join them at the console as she wore a purple loose-knit elbow-length sleeve cotton t-shirt, black skinny jeans, red Converse high-tops, and an emerald green oversized waterfall Duster coat that went to just a little above her ankles; her long red hair cascading over her shoulders in loose waves.

"You don't look so bad yourself." The Doctor smiled at her, taking her hand and giving her a twirl. "A myriad of colors."

"Don't think it's too much?" She questioned.

He smiled, lifting her left hand and leaving a kiss on her blue sapphire wedding ring. "Not at all."

"Okay, this is cute, and everything." Sky chimed in. "But, we have more pressing matters, correct?"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded in a agreement as they all headed for the doors.

"Let's just hope they listen to us now." Lexi commented as the Doctor opened the TARDIS door.

 _Outside, Maitland house, Front_...

"Clara? Lucas?" Lexi knocked on the front door.

"Hello?" Clara's voice replied over the intercom.

"We've de-monked and de-nunned. Sensible clothes. Can we come in now?"

"I don't understand." Lucas's voice replied.

The Doctor frowned. "Could you just open the door?"

"I don't know..."

Jupiter frowned slightly as she moved to the window and peeked into the living room, trying to see if she could see what was going on.

"where I am." Lucas finished, making their eyes widen.

"I don't know where I am!" Clara's voice exclaimed frantically. "Where am I?"

"Please tell me where I am!" Lucas pleaded. "I don't know where I am!"

Lexi quickly pulled out her sonic from her coat and used it to open the door before they all rushed into the house.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Front hall_...

Clara and Lucas were lying unconscious on the floor at the base of the stairs.

"I don't know where I am!" Lucas and Clara's disembodied voices continued to call.

"Clara?" The Doctor asked as he and Lexi kneeled beside Clara's Lucas's bodies.

"Lucas?" Lexi put a hand to the man's cheek while she scanned him with her sonic.

"I don't know where I am! I don't understand. I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am!"

The Doctor, Lexi and the twins looked and saw two little girls' figures standing over Clara and Lucas, their faces in the spoon-like dip in the back of their heads.

"I don't understand! I don't know where I am! Where am I? I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am!"

The Doctor and Lexi slowly got to their feet before using their sonic screwdrivers on the 'Spoonheads', making the visages of the girls disappear to show the most basic of a humanoid shape in robotic form.

"It's a walking base station." Lexi stated as she the Doctor lowered their sonics.

"A walking Wi-Fi base station, hoovering up data." The Doctor scowled as he pocketed his sonic.

"Hoovering up people." Lexi added as she put her sonic back in her coat. "Sky, Jupiter, do your Mum and Dad a favor and go find their laptops or whatever they might've used to get on the internet."

Sky and Jupiter quickly ran up the stairs and were back not 20 seconds later, Sky holding Clara's little laptop and Jupiter holding Lucas's iPad. "Here."

The Doctor took Clara's laptop and Lexi took Lucas's iPad before they both kneeled back down by Clara's and Lucas's bodies.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he began typing in rapid commands. "Oh, no, you don't. Oh, no, you don't. Not this time."

Lexi's fingers flew over the touchscreen keyboard of Lucas's iPad as she worked on canceling whoever was trying to upload him. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Not this time, Lucas, I promise you."

The Couple of Time smirked when the uploads were cancelled. "Gotcha."

They then felt for pulses just as there was a whirring sound from the Spoonheads before beams of energy shot from the dishes and into Clara and Lucas.

The two friends woke up with gasps and coughs as they rolled over.

"It's okay. It's okay." The Doctor assured as he put his hands on Clara's shoulders.

"You're okay, Lucas. You're back." Lexi assured him as she helped him sit up. "You and Clara are fine."

The Doctor quickly grabbed Clara's laptop and typed out a message to send to the main controller.

 **~o0o~**

UNDER MY PROTECTION.

– The Doctor

 **~o0o~**

As Lucas leaned back against the wall, completely dazed and not really taking in anything that was happening, Lexi took hold of his iPad and typed out a message of her own.

 **~o0o~**

BAD THINGS WILL COME TO THOSE WHO CROSS ME.

BACK OFF.

– The Glorious

 **~o0o~**

Lexi smirked as she sent the message.

No one, and I mean no one, was taking Lucas away from her again.


	13. The Bells of Saint John: Part 2

_Inside, Maitland house, Kitchen, Night_...

"Get out of the kitchen!" Lexi whispered harshly to her children as she entered the kitchen from the sitting room. "This isn't our house."

"Look at this." Sky grinned as he reached into a cupboard. "They are stocked with Jammie Dodgers."

"Sometimes Dad really shows through in you." Jupiter rolled her eyes, setting the kettle on the stove to boil as Sky pulled out a pack of Jammie Dodgers from the cupboard he was snooping through.

"You know, I think I'll give this to Dad to set by Clara." Sky stated before walking by Lexi who stood in the doorway that lead to the sitting room.

"Be quiet when you go through there." Lexi whispered to him. "Lucas is still asleep."

"Gotcha." Sky replied before disappearing around a corner.

"I'll be outside by the TARDIS." Jupiter told Lexi as she walked away from the stove. "The little kitchen timer should go off when the kettle reaches a boil."

"Yeah." Lexi nodded as Jupiter walked past her before walking out the door and shutting it behind her.

Lexi stood there for a moment, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe while thinking.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Lounge_...

Lexi entered the sitting room from the kitchen as she walked over to the sofa where a sleeping Lucas was still fast asleep. She sighed, lightly running her hand over his forehead without waking him. She then let her eyes wander over to a laptop backpack of sorts that laid on its side by the end of the sofa. It must've gotten knocked over when Jupiter helped her move Lucas into the sitting room so he could sleep on the couch.

Lexi walked over and set the backpack back up, leaning it against the leg of the coffee table just as something shiny fell out of it.

Curious, Lexi picked it up, noticing that it was actually a watch. A vintage watch that looked to be from the late 1950s or early 1960s. The watch itself had a black clock-face with gold hands and numbers. All of that on top of a black leather band.

Lexi turned the watch over in her hands, examining it before then noticing that there was actually something engraved on the back of it.

 **~o0o~**

 _Time is precious... Waste it wisely._ – J.H.

 **~o0o~**

Lexi smiled slightly at that.

"Lex." The Doctor whispered, grabbing Lexi's hand before tugging her out of the sitting room, not giving her a chance to put the watch back where she had found it.

 _Later_...

Lucas slowly woke to find himself laying on the Maitland's sofa. Somewhere where he definitely didn't remember going. He sat up just before the scent of freshly made tea reached his nose.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Kitchen_...

Curious, Lucas entered the kitchen, seeing the kettle on top of the now turned-off stove with mugs sitting right next to it.

"What?" He whispered to himself, confused as he lifted the kettle.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Clara's room_...

Lucas entered Clara's room to see her sitting up in her bed while staring with a puzzled look at a plate of Jammie Dodgers, one half-eaten.

Clara looked up when she heard Lucas enter her room.

"I'm confused." She told him.

"Yeah." He agreed.

 _Outside, Maitland house_...

"Hello?"

The quartet looked up later in the night, having gathered outside and 'set up camp'. Lexi was scanning Lucas's iPad with her sonic while the Doctor was working with Clara's laptop as they worked on... something.

Clara and Lucas were now leaning out the window to Clara's room, looking down at them.

"Hello!" The Doctor waved . "Are you both all right?"

"I was in bed." Clara stated.

"I was asleep in the sitting room." Lucas stated.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"Neither of us remember going." Clara informed him.

"You wouldn't." Lexi replied.

"What did we miss?" Lucas enquired.

"Oh, quite a lot, actually." The Doctor said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small notebook. "Clara, Angie called, she's going to stay over at Nina's. Apparently that's all fine and you shouldn't worry like you always do, for God's sake, get off her back. Also, your dad phoned. Mainly about the government. He seems very cross with them, I've got several pages on that. I said we'd look into it. I also fixed that rattling noise in the washing machine, indexed the kitchen cupboards, optimised the photosynthesis in the main flowerbed and assembled the quadrocycle."

"Assembled the what?" Clara tilted her head.

"Exactly what I said." Sky chimed in. "Even I didn't know what it was."

Clara smiled at Sky as the Doctor frowned. "I found a disassembled quadrocycle in the garage."

Clara shook her head. "I don't think you did."

"Congratulations, dear." Lexi smirked. "You have invented the quadricycle."

"Ha!" He grinned.

"Oh, and, Lucas," Lexi continued. "I looked over some of your students research papers and I must say that you must be a really good teacher. Almost all of them had B material or higher. Oh, and your Mum phoned. Said that she's still on for lunch next Saturday and for you not be late like you always are. Bit snarky, your Mum. I like her."

Lucas squinted at her before just shaking his head. "What happened to me and Clara?"

"Don't you remember?" The Doctor tilted his head.

"Scared." Clara stated. "That's all I can remember."

"Yeah." Lucas agreed. "More scared than I think I've ever been."

"We didn't know where we were, did we?" Clara enquired.

"Sadly, no." Lexi replied. "Do you both know now?"

"Yes." The two friends responded.

"Well then, you should go to sleep, because you're safe now. Promise." The Doctor told them. "Goodnight."

"I should've went home hours ago." Lucas thought out loud.

"You're welcome to go home to wherever you live. No one's stopping you. Although, I would caution yourself." Lexi told him before she and the Doctor turned on their heels and headed back to their chairs by the TARDIS.

Clara and Lucas shared a look before looking back to the four people sitting in the Maitland's driveway.

Clara tilted her head. "Are you guarding us?"

"Well, yes." The Doctor nodded. "Yes, we are."

Lucas smiled slightly. "Are you four seriously going to sit down there all night?"

"Yep." Jupiter smirked at him.

"Well, then," Clara glanced at Lucas who nodded before she looked back to the four people in the Maitland's driveway. "we'll have to come to you."

Soon enough, they did, bringing with them chairs and six mugs of tea. Lucas holding three while Clara held three.

"I like your house." The Doctor told Clara.

"It isn't mine." Clara shook her head. "I'm a friend of the family."

"Do you look after the kids?" The Doctor asked before his face brightened. "Oh, yes, you're a governess, aren't you? Just like..."

"And you're a teacher..." Lexi muttered while eyeing Lucas. "Like..."

"Who are you talking about?" Lucas questioned.

"No one." Sky quickly cut in. "Just old friends of ours."

Lucas nodded slowly, unsure but shrugged and just went with it. "Are you going to explain what happened to us?"

"There's something in the Wi-Fi." Jupiter pointed at the computer and iPad the Doctor and Lexi were holding.

Clara blinked. "Okay..."

"This whole world is swimming in Wi-Fi." The Doctor stated. "We're living in Wi-Fi soup. Suppose something got inside it. Suppose there was something living in the Wi-Fi, harvesting human minds, extracting them. Imagine that. Human souls trapped like flies in the World Wide Web, stuck forever, crying out for help."

"It's basically Twitter." Jupiter shrugged.

"Exactly what I was going to say." Lucas grinned at her. Jupiter winked at him, making Sky roll his eyes and Clara giggle at the face Sky made.

Lexi and the Doctor, meanwhile, both pulled up the Wi-Fi and narrowed their eyes when they saw the Wi-Fi with the weird looking symbols.

"What are those faces for?" Clara asked them.

"A computer can hack another computer. A living, sentient computer..." Lexi trailed off, not looking up from Lucas's iPad as she eyed the Wi-Fi intently.

"So..." The Doctor continued. "Maybe that could hack people. Edit them. Rewrite them."

"A few hours ago, Clara didn't know anything about the internet. Lucas didn't seem a lot better with it either." Sky stated. "And yet, Lucas was going to make a joke about Twitter."

"But it was similar, so... Oh." Clara blinked, frowning as she glanced at Lucas. "That's weird. Do you feel it?"

"Oh..." Lucas put his fingers to his temples as his mind was suddenly bombarded with computer knowledge that hadn't been inside his mind before. "It's like... a mind palace filled with all the computer knowledge you could possibly have or want. I'm fairly certain I didn't know this much before."

"I know all about computers now." Clara stated in disbelief. "It's in my head. Why? How? Where did it all come from?"

"You and Lucas were both uploaded for a while." Lexi explained. "And wherever you two were, you brought something extra back. Which, sorry to inform you, but I don't believe you'll be allowed to keep it."

Jupiter slowly turned her head and saw a figure across the street who was standing very still under a lamppost. "Everyone, in the box, now."

"I'm sorry?" Clara's raised an eyebrow as the Doctor, Lexi and Sky stood up from their chairs.

"Yeah, I think it's best we get inside." The Doctor agreed, narrowing his eyes.

"All of us?"

"It's bigger than it looks." Sky assured her. "You'll understand once we're in there."

"I bet I will." Clara scowled. "What is that box, anyway? Why do you have a box? Is it like a snogging booth?"

"Clara," The Doctor began before doing a double-take as Lexi ducked her head slightly as she tried to hold in her laughter. "A what?!"

"You know, there is such a thing as too keen." Lucas chuckled as Jupiter herself tried to hold in giggles.

"Seriously, though, look around." Sky told them.

Clara and Lucas looked around for themselves, their eyes widening when they saw all the bedroom lights in the houses turning on all around them.

"Okay, what's going on? What's happening?" Clara questioned. "Is the Wi-Fi switching on the lights?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "The people are switching on the lights. The Wi-Fi is switching on the people."

"Doctor, look." Lexi pointed.

The man by the lamppost turned his head, revealing the same spoon-like back.

"What is that thing?" Lucas asked as he stepped up beside Jupiter.

"A walking base station." Lexi answered. "You and Clara saw two of them earlier."

"We saw little girls." Clara stated.

"Must've taken images from your subconsciouses, thrown them back at you." Lexi told her.

"Active camouflage..." The Doctor muttered in realization. "They could be everywhere."

"All the lights are going out." Lucas looked around worriedly. "Our lights are on and everyone else's aren't. I don't know about any of you but, considering the circumstances, that doesn't exactly seem very good. Like at all."

Lexi face drained of color when she heard the roaring of engines off in the distance. She gulped. "Some planes have Wi-Fi..."

"Oh, no..." Sky and Jupiter's eyes widened in realization.

"We must be one hell of a target right now." The Doctor commented nervously.

"Husband, twins, Harper, Oswald, me, box, now." Lexi said as she ran to the TARDIS.

Jupiter quickly grabbed Lucas's hand as Sky grabbed Clara's before they and the Doctor all ran inside the TARDIS.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Lexi, the Doctor and the twins all hurried towards the console, Sky and Jupiter dropping Clara's and Lucas's hands once they were inside. The two friends held onto the rail with one hand as their teacups remained in their other ones.

"Yes, it's a spaceship. Yes, it's bigger on the inside." The Doctor listed off as he, Lexi and the twins ran around the console working the various controls. "And no, we don't have time to talk about it."

"But it's, it's actually..." Lucas stammered.

"How can it...? I mean, it's..." Clara sputtered as she and Lucas looked around in shock at their surroundings.

"Please do shut up." Lexi requested as she ran past her and Lucas to another panel. "Short hops can be quite difficult."

"Bigger, though." Lucas said as he looked around. "Like on the inside."

"Actually bigger." Clara laughed slightly.

"Yep." The Doctor said as he flipped a lever, the TARDIS sparking a little which made him jump back. "Right, come on." He stated before he and everyone else headed for the door.

"We're going back out there?!" Clara shrieked.

"We've moved." Lexi stated simply.

"Yep 'cause it's a spaceship." The Doctor agreed. "And you know what spaceships do?... They fly away."

"Away from the plane?" Lucas questioned.

"Not exactly." Lexi grinned at him before the Doctor opened the door.

 _Inside, Plane_...

The Doctor practically tumbled from the TARDIS into the body of the plane that was headed straight for the house, Lexi grabbing onto the edges of seats as she passed them while the twins, Clara and Lucas stumbled behind them.

"How did we get here?!" Lucas shouted as they stumbled past unconscious passengers.

"Spaceship, simple as that!" Lexi shouted back as she and the Doctor stumbled towards the cockpit of the plane. "Well, it's not actually simple, but you get the idea!... Probably!"

"Is this the plane? The actual plane?" Clara asked quickly. "Are they all dead?"

"Asleep." The Doctor checked. "Switched off by the Wi-Fi. Never mind them."

"What is going on?" Lucas demanded as Lexi sonicked open the cockpit door.

 _Inside, Plane, Cockpit_...

The Doctor and Lexi found themselves between the unconscious pilot and co-pilot as Sky, Jupiter, Lucas and Clara stood behind them in the cramped area.

"What's is going on? Is this real?" Clara kept asking as Lexi and the Doctor used their sonics on various panels. "Please tell us what is happening!"

"I'm the Glorious." Lexi answered. "That's the Doctor, and that's Sky and Jupiter. The Doctor is an alien from outer space and over a thousand years old. I'm a former human turned Time Lord from Scotland and I'm fifty years old even though I only look twenty five. Sky and Jupiter are our son and daughter and we all have two hearts. And I'm betting none of us know how to fly a plane. Can either of you?"

"No." Lucas answered, eyes wide.

"No." Clara admitted.

"Well, then, let's hope this works." Lexi cracked her neck grabbing onto the controls as the Doctor put his arms around her so they could both pull on the throttle. "Hold on!"

"Woohoo!" The Doctor cheered, everyone else screaming as he and Lexi pulled back on the throttle and were able to fly them over the rooftops. "Do you think a victory roll would be too show-off-y?"

"Yeah, a bit." Lexi smirked as the two of them stood up straight again.

"What the hell's going on?" One of the pilots asked groggily as he started to come to.

"Well, we're blocking your Wi-Fi, so you're waking up for a start." The Doctor answered, giving the pilot's shoulder a pat. "Tell you what, do you want to drive?" He asked before he and Lexi just turned around and left.

"Well," Jupiter began as she straightened herself out. "Almost dying in a plane crash... That's new."

"Yeah." Sky agreed as he and Jupiter walked out of the cockpit.

Shocked, Lucas and Clara just stood there as the co-pilot also woke up before he and the pilot began discussing getting back on course.

Still frozen where they stood, Clara and Lucas mindlessly lifted their mugs of tea towards their mouths before they were suddenly grabbed by the collars by the Doctor and Lexi before being pulled from the cockpit.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Okay, when are you going to explain to us what the hell is going on?" Lucas questioned as he set his now empty mug of tea on the console as the Family of Time each worked on various controls.

"Breakfast, anyone?" Lexi spoke up as she flipped a lever.

Sky raised his hand. "I could go for breakfast."

"You always can go for food." Jupiter rolled her eyes.

"What?" Clara blinked. "We ain't waiting till breakfast!"

"It's a time machine. You never have to wait for breakfast." The Doctor grinned before pulling out a fez from his jacket and walking outside. "Thank you!"

 _Outside, London, South Bank, Day_...

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS where there was a group of people applauding the 'performance' as Lexi, the twins, Lucas and Clara stepped out, Lucas and Clara gawking at where and when they now found themselves.

"Thank you." The Doctor took a bow. "Yes, magic blue box. All donations gratefully accepted." He said as he began passing the fez around to collect money. "Roll up, roll up, give us your dosh. Pennies, pounds, anything you've got." He then handed the fez to Clara. "Keep collecting, we need enough for breakfast. Just popping back to the garage."

"Garage?" Lucas repeated blankly as the Doctor, Lexi and Jupiter headed back inside.

"We've got a lot of things." Sky explained.

"Okay..." Clara said slowly. "So this is tomorrow, then. Tomorrow's come early."

"No, it came at the usual time!" The Doctor called as he, Lexi and Jupiter all drove out on motorbikes, Lucas's and Clara's expressions turning into ones of stunned surprise. "We took a short cut."

"Thank you, everyone!" Lexi grinned, waving at the cheering crowd. "Today: motorbikes, tomorrow: camels."

The Doctor took the fez from Clara and dumped the money into his hand before plopping the fez on the head of a young boy who was standing nearby.

Lexi held up a second helmet to Lucas. "Shall we?"

Lucas smiled slightly and put it on before getting behind her as Clara did the same with the Doctor.

"Come on, little brother." Jupiter smirked, holding up a helmet to Sky.

Sky rolled his eyes and snatched the helmet away from her and put it on before climbing on behind her. "How many times have I told you? You're only eleven minutes older."

"Yep." She grinned, twisting the throttle of the motorbike. "Eleven whole minutes."

"Will you two stop arguing and come on?" Lexi called back to them before driving off behind the Doctor and Clara.

"If you've got a flying time machine, why are we on motorbikes?" Lucas asked as they drove side by side.

"We don't take the TARDIS into battle." Lexi shook her head.

"Because it's made of wood?" Clara asked, looking over from where she sat behind the Doctor as they drove next to them.

Jupiter let out a laugh, Sky holding onto her as they passed in between the motorbikes the Doctor and Lexi were driving.

"Oi, slow down!" The Doctor called to them as they sped ahead. He then directed his attention back to Clara. "The TARDIS is the most powerful ship in the universe and we don't want it falling into the wrong hands. Okay?"

"Is this seriously what you do everyday?" Lucas asked Lexi, holding onto her as she drove the motorbike they were riding.

"Not really." She answered. "It's been awhile since we've really stopped an invasion."

Lucas nodded thoughtfully, not really feeling the need to ask anymore questions at that moment until they got to somewhere where they could really discuss things.


	14. The Bells of Saint John: Part 3

_Outside, Café, Day_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Lucas, Clara and the twins sat at a rooftop café overlooking St. Paul's Cathedral as the Doctor worked on Clara's laptop and Lexi worked on Lucas's iPad.

"So if we can travel anywhere in time and space, why did we travel to the morning?" Clara asked. "What's the point in that?"

"Whoever's after us spent the whole night looking for us." The Doctor replied. "Are you tired?"

"Yes."

"Then imagine how they feel. They came the long way round." He replied as he continued to type.

"They've got to be close." Lexi chimed in, not looking up from Lucas's iPad. "And it's definitely London, going by the signal distribution."

"Still, we can hack the lowest level of their operating system, yet we can't establish a physical location." The Doctor agreed.

"Security's pretty good, then." Sky commented as he stood up from the table. "Be back in a moment."

Clara watched as Sky walked off into the café before turning to look back at Jupiter, Lexi and the Doctor as they still sat at the table. "Are you aliens?"

"Yes." The Doctor and Jupiter answered.

"Okay with that?" Jupiter raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, yeah." Clara replied. "I think I'm fine."

"Oh, good." The Doctor said before looking back down at a Clara's computer.

"Are you an alien?" Lucas asked Lexi.

"Sort of." She replied before looking back down at his iPad. "It's complicated."

"Okay..." He nodded slowly before a question occurred to him. "What happens if we actually find whoever's doing this? You know, what then?"

"Don't know." Lexi shrugged. "We can't tell the future. We just work there."

"So you people don't have a plan?" Clara asked incredulously.

"Ah, well, you know what they say about plans?" The Doctor smirked.

"What?"

"We don't have one."

"Jupe!" Sky exclaimed as he ran out onto the terrace, grabbing his sister's hand before tugging her out of her chair. "They have thirty five different flavors of gelato."

"Thirty five?" She raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Yes, now come on!" He told her, tugging her along behind him and back into the café.

"You know, there are times when I really see Sky take after you, dear." Lexi smirked before looking back down to the iPad.

Lucas and Clara shared a looked before looking back to the Doctor and Lexi.

"Are they really your children?" Clara asked.

"And do you really not have a plan?" Lucas added. "Because, in my experience, people always have plans."

"Yes, they are." Lexi answered. "And yes they do, I suppose." She then switched off Lucas's iPad and set it on top of the table in front of her as the Doctor shut Clara's laptop before they both directed their attention to the two friends. "So, why don't you tell us a little more about yourselves?"

"Clara," The Doctor began. "how long have you been looking after those kids?"

"About a year, since their Mum died." She answered.

"Okay." The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "But why you? Family friend, I get that, but there must've been others. Why did it have to be you?"

"And how do you fit into this whole scenario, Lucas?" Lexi smiled slightly, resting her chin in her palm as she gave the man her undivided attention. "I mean, your Clara's friend, I get that bit. But, why do you stick around? Obviously you don't live in the house with everyone. You basically answered that part last night. You're a teacher, but yet you seem to spend your free time in a place you don't have to be."

Lucas smirked at her before snatching his iPad out from in front of her. as Clara snatched her laptop away from the Doctor.

"Ah ah ah." Lexi said quickly as she snatched the iPad back. "Come on, explain."

"Sorry." The Doctor said as he snatched the computer back from Clara. "Now, where were we?"

"You need to know where they physically are, correct?" Lucas enquired. "Their exact location?"

"Yes."

"We can do it." Clara said as she and Lucas grabbed their respective devices back from the Couple of Time, holding them out of their reaches.

"Oi!" Lexi frowned. "We need those!"

"You've hacked their lower operating system, yeah?" Lucas questioned. "Clara and I can have their physical location in under five minutes."

"Now," Clara smirked as the Doctor's frowny face. "pop off and get us more coffee."

"If we can't find them, you definitely can't." The Doctor shook his head.

"They uploaded us, remember?" Clara reminded them. "We've got computer stuff in our heads."

"Maybe they have a point." Lexi spoke up, making them look at her. "I mean, they have been uploaded to their server. So maybe, if we're lucky, they can find it that way." She saw the Doctor open his mouth to argue, but Lexi cut him off. "And no, dear, we do not have twenty seven brains. So don't even try it."

Lucas quickly looked up from his iPad. "Twenty seven?"

"Exaggerations, dear Lucas." Lexi sighed as she stood from her chair. She quickly grabbed the Doctor's hand before tugging him along behind her. "Come on, dear, let's leave them to their work."

 _Inside, Café_...

The Doctor pouted slightly as Lexi dragged him along with her. They walked past the ice cream bar and saw Sky and Jupiter with their eyes closed as they fed each other different flavors and tried to guess what the other had given them.

"Four more cappuccinos over there, please." Lexi told the barista as she and the Doctor walked up to the coffee bar that was loaded with pastries.

"One moment, ma'am." The man nodded before he walked over to the machine to start the process.

"Ooh!" The Doctor smiled as he picked up a plate holding a chocolate cake, inhaling the scent before setting the plate back down.

Lexi frowned as the man stiffened and the electricity crackled while the lights flickered, the Doctor missing all that since he was so intent on the pastries.

"You realize you haven't the slightest chance of saving your little friends?" The man informed them.

The Doctor paused, a scone at his mouth as Sky and Jupiter walked up to where they were, both with curious looks on their faces. "Sorry?"

"One moment, sir." The man said before stiffening again. "I said, there is not the slightest chance you can save your little friends. And don't annoy the old man. He isn't, in fact, speaking."

"The Wi-Fi..." Jupiter muttered.

"I'm speaking." One of the waitresses walked up to them, Lexi frowning as she went and stood face-to-face with her. "Just using whatever's to hand. Oh, she's rather pretty, isn't she? Do you like her? I can make her like you, too, if you want." She suddenly relaxed. "You all right, ma'am?"

"Yeah." Lexi nodded slowly before abruptly rushing back outside.

"Keep an eye on them." The Doctor told Sky and Jupiter, tossing the scone he was holding to Sky before running after Lexi.

 _Outside, Café_...

Lexi came rushing out of the café, the Doctor skidding to a stop right behind her as they saw Clara and Lucas typing away on their respective devices.

"You both okay?" Lexi questioned, raising a concerned eyebrow at the two friends.

"Sure." Lucas replied, not looking up from his iPad as his fingers flew across the touchscreen keyboard in much the same way Lexi's had when she saved him from being fully uploaded. "We're just setting up stuff."

"Yeah." Clara nodded, not looking up from her computer. "We need usernames."

"Fast learners." The Doctor admitted, impressed.

"Let's see..." Lucas muttered under his breath. "Okay, I like books. I like nineteenth century literature... Ooh, Nathaniel Hawthorne!"

"And Clara Oswald for the win." Clara smirked before gasping. "Oswin!"

"We'll just go and get those coffees." The Doctor said nervously, pointing over his shoulder and sharing a look with Lexi before they both headed back inside quickly.

 _Inside, Café_...

"She's doing it again." Jupiter warned as the Doctor and Lexi walked up to her and Sky.

"Now, I want you to take a look around." The waitress smirked. "Go on. Have a little stroll, and see how Impossible your situation is. Go on, take a look. I do love showing off."

Electricity crackled and the waitress continued working just before a young girl walked up to them. "Just let me show you what control of the Wi-Fi can do for one. Stop!"

Everyone in the café stopped in their tracks, letting you see the blue 'energy' passing over them.

Lexi's eyes narrowed in slight anger. "We had a pretty good demonstration last night, thank you very much."

"And clear!" The little girl shouted just before the energy dissipated, everyone leaving the café.

"We can hack anyone in the Wi-Fi once they've been exposed long enough." One of the anchors on the TV said.

"So there's one of your walking base stations here, somewhere close." Sky looked around.

"There's always someone close. We've released thousands into the world. They home in on the Wi-Fi like rats sniffing cheese."

"I don't know who you are, or why you're doing this, but the people of this world will not be harmed." The Doctor warned. "They will not be controlled. They will not be-"

"The people of this world are in no danger whatsoever." Whoever was speaking through the news anchor cut him off. "My client requires a steady diet of living human minds. Healthy, free-range human minds. He loves and cares for humanity. In fact, he can't get enough of them."

"Taking over and stealing their minds." Jupiter scoffed. "That might as well be murder."

"It's life." She snapped. "The farmer tends his flock like a loving parent. The abattoir is not a contradiction. No one loves cattle more than Burger King."

"Sky, Jupiter, go see what Clara and Lucas are doing." Lexi instructed, her and the Doctor not taking their eyes off the TV.

"On it!" Sky said quickly before he and Jupiter rushed out of the café.

 _Outside, Café_...

"How's it going?" Jupiter asked as she and Sky rushed up to the table.

"Great, we've got webcams." Lucas grinned. "And a location."

"Amy Pickwoad, Christina Tom, Sam Price..." Clara listed off. "All have one thing in common: they work at the Shard."

"The Shard, got it." Sky nodded. "Both of you, keep working. We'll go tell them."

The twins quickly rushed back to the café just as their parents were walking out of it.

"Mum, Dad, we've found them." Jupiter said, quickly grabbing Lexi by the shoulders.

Lexi and the Doctor simply raised their arms, Lexi whacking Jupiter on the back of the head as the Doctor did the same to Sky, making both of them fall to the ground unconscious.

Just like the real Lexi and Doctor were inside the café.

 _With Lucas and Clara_...

Clara and Lucas looked up as the Doctor and the Glorious walked out.

"We did it. We really did." Clara said as she sat back in her chair.

Lucas smiled. "We did it. We found them."

"You found them." The Doctor and Lexi spoke in monotone voices.

"The Shard." Clara stated. "They're in the Shard."

"Floor sixty five." Lucas added.

"Floor sixty five." They repeated.

Clara frowned. "Aren't you listening to us, Doctor, Glorious? We found them!"

"We're listening to you. You found them."

Clara's and Lucas's eyes widened, realizing this wasn't the Doctor and the Glorious as they remembered how the girls in the house repeated what they said.

The two friends watched in horror as the Doctor's and Lexi's heads spun, revealing them to be Spoonheads just before beams shot out from the 'dishes'.

 _Inside, Café_...

Lexi groaned as she woke up, shaking her head before blinking when she saw the Doctor just starting to stir. "Doctor?"

"Damn base stations." He groaned as he woke up, blinking his eyes as he came back to his senses.

"Mm." She hummed in agreement as she turned over on her side to prop herself up, but paused when she saw a couple of unconscious figures laying in the doorway of the café. "Sky! Jupiter!"

That got the Doctor's attention as Lexi instantly got up and ran over to their children, him not far behind.

"What happened?" Sky groaned as the Doctor and Lexi kneeled beside them.

"Base stations." The Doctor answered as he helped Jupiter sit up.

"I don't think I've ever had a headache this bad." Jupiter winced in pain.

"Whoever the hell is doing this is going to regre-" Lexi cut herself off when another thought occurred to her. "Lucas! Clara!"

Lexi quickly got up from beside Sky and ran out the door, Sky not far behind her as the Doctor helped Jupiter to her feet.

 _Outside, Café_...

"Lucas! Clara!" Lexi shouted as she and Sky ran out to where the table was, the Doctor and Jupiter not far behind. All of them stopping abruptly when they saw the Doctor and Lexi's own faces staring at them, Clara and Lucas both slumped unconscious on the table.

The heads on the base stations then turned around, letting the Family of Time see Clara and Lucas in the 'dishes', both uploaded and looking terrified.

"Glorious? Glorious, help me!" Lucas exclaimed. "I don't where I am! I don't understand. I don't know where I am!"

"Please, Doctor, help me!" Clara cried. "I don't know where I am! I don't understand. Doctor, please, I don't where I am!"

"Oh, they just messed with the wrong woman." Lexi growled as she whipped out her sonic screwdriver before walking up to her Spoonhead look-alike.

 _Outside, London, Waterloo Bridge_...

The Doctor and Lexi rode across the bridge on their motorbikes, determined looks on their faces. They looked at the Shard off in the distance before speeding towards their destination.

 _Outside, London, Street_...

The Doctor and Lexi pulled to a stop right next to each other across the street from the Shard. A man standing right there came to attention before speaking.

"Really, Doctor, Glorious? Motorbikes?" He asked incredulously. "Hardly seems like you."

"I rode this in the Anti-Grav Olympics, 2074." The Doctor told him. "I came last."

"The building is in lock-down." He informed. "I'm afraid you're not coming in."

"Did you even hear the word 'anti-grav'?" The Doctor shot back before slamming a red button on the control panel, twisting the throttle and driving towards the Shard.

"And that's my husband." Lexi smirked. "Now, I don't know who you are. And to be truthful, I don't really care. But, word of advice: don't cross me and expect to get away with it. 'Cause FYI, I came in first in the Anti-Grav Olympics." She grinned. "See you upstairs."

She then slammed the red button on the control panel of her motorbike, twisting the throttle before driving after the Doctor.

 _Outside, Shard_...

Like the badasses we know they can be, the Doctor and Lexi rode their motorbikes up the side of the building. And as they got close to the 65th floor, they took out their sonics and used them.

 _Inside, Office_...

The glass of the main office of floor 65 shattered completely, the Doctor immediately getting off of his motorbike, not even caring as it landed on its side amongst the shattered glass. Still wearing his helmet, he then went and sat down behind the desk and propped his feet up on the surface. Still wearing her helmet, Lexi herself opted to stay on her motorbike as her fingers tapped against the handlebars.

Soon enough, Miss Kizlet entered, stopping as she eyed Lexi before her gaze drifted over to the Doctor. "Do come in."

"Download them." The Doctor stated.

"Sorry about the draft." She said, motioning to the smashed window.

"Did you not hear him?" Lexi question as she propped the motorbike up on its kickstand. "Download them back into their bodies, right now."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"They're fully integrated parts of the data cloud now. They can't be separated."

"Then download the entire cloud." The Doctor told her. "Everyone you've trapped in there."

"You realize what would happen?" She asked him.

"Yes, those still with bodies to go home to would be free." He said as he stood up with his arms out wide.

"A tiny number." Miss Kizlet scoffed. "Most would simply die."

"Still, better than staying in a living hell." Lexi reasoned as she got off her motorbike.

"I love it when you're right." The Doctor smirked at Lexi before they began circling Miss Kizlet. "Now, it really is the best you can do for them, so give the order."

"And why would I do that?" She questioned as the Doctor and Lexi stopped circling her, both of them coming to a stop on either side of her.

"Because we're going to motivate you." Lexi smirked darkly. "It should be happening any second now."

"You're ridiculous!" Miss Kizlet shook her head. "Why did you even come here? Whatever for?"

"I didn't." The Doctor answered.

"What?"

"I'm still in the café." He told her. "I'm finishing my coffee. Lovely spot."

"What are you talking about?"

"You hack people." Lexi told her as the Doctor unclipped his helmet. "My husband and I? Well, we hack technology."

Miss Kizlet watched in shock as the Doctor's head spun around, revealing it to be a Spoonhead.

"I myself, however? I just couldn't resist seeing this for myself." Lexi smirked as she unclipped her helmet and took it off, her long red locks falling over her shoulders. Her head completely devoid of a 'dish'. "'Cause I'm the real deal."

"No. No. No! Not me! Not me!" Miss Kizlet shouted as she back away towards her desk only to be stopped as Lexi grabbed her from behind and put an arm around her neck to hold her in place.

"I told you bad things would come if you crossed me." Lexi growled in her ear just before a beam shot out from the 'dish'.

Miss Kizlet's body then went limp in Lexi's arms, said woman not even caring as she let the woman drop to the floor.

Lexi then stepped over Miss Kizlet's body and grabbed said woman's iPad before pulling up statistics of a man named Mahler. And with one push of her finger, Mahler's obedience level was pushed all the way up.

With a satisfied smirk on her face, Lexi set the iPad back down on the desk before walking over to her husband's Spoonhead look-alike.

"I know you saw all of that." Lexi spoke, knowing the Doctor could see her through the Spoonhead's camera from where he was still at the café. "And I don't want to hear one word about how I enjoyed it too much."

"Not one word." He told her.

"Good." She smiled before using her sonic to deactivate the Spoonhead.

She then went and put her helmet back on, getting back on her motorbike before driving back out the window and down the side of the building just as Miss Kizlet started waking back up.

 _Outside, Café_...

Jupiter looked down to see Lucas and Clara breathing deeply. "They're back. Mum, did it."

"With a little help from Dad, obviously." Sky chimed in from where he was examining the now dismantled Spoonhead that had taken the form of his mother.

"True." The Doctor shrugged before looking over the edge of the café's terrace when he heard the sound of a motorbike pull up.

Lexi looked up at him expectantly, raising an eyebrow. The Doctor nodded at her before turning back to the twins as he stood up from his chair.

"All right, you two, let's go." The Doctor said, shutting Clara's laptop as Jupiter gently laid Lucas's iPad next to where said man had his head resting on the table.

With one last look at the two friends, the Doctor, and the twins then walked away.

"Mm." Lucas groaned as he and Clara woke. "Glorious?"

"Doctor?" Clara asked as she lifted her head before she and Lucas stood up, looking around but seeing no one. "Doctor! Glorious!"


	15. The Bells of Saint John: Part 4 - FINAL

_Inside, TARDIS, Console room, Evening_...

"Are you sure about this?" Sky asked as the Doctor placed a VM around his wrist.

"Well, no." Lexi answered as she placed a VM around Jupiter's wrist. "But, your father and I have known this was coming for a long time. No matter how we feel, we know it has to happen. Just... feel free to pop back for visits. You've got a lot to do."

"We know we do." Jupiter spoke softly as she embraced her mother. "You and Dad have told us about this our whole lives. And now, we finally get to start it."

Lexi smiled tearfully as she pulled away from her daughter. "I want you and Sky both to hold onto the days you're about to get. Because they're the days your father and I can't get back."

"Please tell us you understand that." The Doctor looked back and forth between Sky and Jupiter.

"We do, Dad." Sky assured him as he gave him a hug, patting him on the back. "We really do."

"Good." The Doctor said as they pulled away from each other.

"Come here, Sunbeam." Lexi grinned, pulling Sky in for a hug.

"You're never gonna stop calling me that, are you?" Sky chuckled as he held his mother close.

"Never." She giggled, giving her son a kiss on the cheek before pulling away from him.

"My sweet Angel." The Doctor whispered as he embraced Jupiter. "You be careful. Or at least be as careful as you can be."

"I'll try my best." She whispered back, giving her father a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away from him.

"Where shall we go first, sister mine?" Sky grinned.

"I say we pay a visit to someone who we haven't seen since they babysat us when we were still infants." Jupiter smiled as she and Sky started keying in coordinates into their VMs.

"Tell River we said hi." Lexi smiled sadly as the Doctor put an arm around her shoulders.

"We will." Sky assured her, he and Jupiter giving one last look to their parents before zapping out of sight.

Lexi then sighed sadly, leaning her head against the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor kissed the top of her head. "They'll be back."

"I know they will." Lexi told him. "It's just, we already know what they're gonna do because we've already lived through all of it. It's kinda hard to believe."

"And yet," The Doctor began, taking Lexi's hands in his as they went and sat down on some nearby stairs that lead up to the upper level. "here we are. For a while, they may not be around all the time. But, we can take solace in the fact that they finally get to meet all the people who they've grown up only hearing stories about."

"That is an upside, I suppose." She nodded thoughtfully before resting her head on his shoulder just before there were a couple of knocks on the door, making her lift her head again. "Come in!"

"So they come back, do they?" Clara smirked as she and Lucas entered the TARDIS.

"You didn't answer our questions." The Doctor immediately said as he took his arm from around Lexi's shoulders.

"What questions?" Lucas asked as he and Clara rounded the console.

"Well, for one," The Doctor began as he looked to Clara. "You don't seem like a nanny."

"...I was going to travel." Clara told him after a moment. "I came to stay for a week before I left and during that week..."

"She died." Lexi finished for her before looking to Lucas. "That still doesn't explain why you stick around."

"She was my godmother." Lucas informed her. "Angie and Artie are like younger siblings to me. I was going to go with Clara and travel with her for a bit before settling in Rome and taking a job at the International School there. And when Clara called me and told me... well, you know; I couldn't leave. So I took another job offer from a school in Shoreditch here in London."

"I see." Lexi nodded thoughtfully. "So you and Clara stay around the family because you're both returning the favor, so to speak. Trying to give back the kindness and love the family has shown you."

"I guess you could say that." Clara nodded.

"But what about your book, Clara?" The Doctor questioned. "You've got 101 places to see, and you haven't been to any of them, have you? That's why you keep the book."

"I keep the book," Clara started as she gingerly ran her fingers along the edge of the console. "'cause I'm still going."

"And knowing me," Lucas began. "I probably won't be far behind."

"But you both don't run out on the people you care about." Lexi stated, pursing her lips in thought. "That is a very honorable trait to have. And I can honestly say that I admire you both for that."

"Oh, really?" Clara smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." Lexi grinned as she and the Doctor stood up from their spots on the stairs. "But you know, the thing about a time machine," She grinned as she approached Lucas. "you can run away all you like and still be home in time for tea."

"What do you say?" The Doctor smiled as he walked up beside Clara. "Anywhere. All of time and space."

"Just right outside those doors," Lexi began as she stared at Lucas. "there are wonders beyond anything you could possibly imagine. And believe me, you don't wanna miss it."

Lucas chuckled slightly. "Does this actually work?"

"Like seriously, is this really what you two do?" Clara giggled in agreement with Lucas. "You know, you pair just crook your fingers and people just jump in your smog box and fly away?"

"It is not a snog box!" The Doctor groaned.

"I'll be the judge that."

"Starting when?"

"You know..." Clara drawled out, not answering the Doctor's question. "Where are those two children of yours?"

"Yeah." Lucas agreed. "The two children who I'm still having trouble believing are actually your children. Where've they gone off to?"

"They are on their own adventure now." Is all that Lexi replied with.

"Hm." Lucas nodded thoughtful, glancing at Clara.

Clara smirked. "Come back tomorrow, ask us again."

"Why?" The Doctor tilted his head.

"'Cause tomorrow, we might say yes." Lucas grinned.

"Some time after 7:00 okay for you?" Clara questioned as she headed for the door.

"I think any time is okay." Lexi rolled her eyes playfully. "You know, time machine and all."

"See you then."

"Clara?" The Doctor spoke up, making her stop where she was at the door.

"Uh-huh?" She glanced back at him.

"In your book there was a leaf. Why?"

"That wasn't a lead." She told him, smiling slightly. "That was page one."

Lucas smiled as his friend exited the TARDIS before he himself started making his way to the door.

"Oh, Lucas?" Lexi asked, making him stop by the door.

"Yeah?" He replied, turning around to face her as she walked up to him.

"I found this." Lexi said as she pulled his watch out of her coat. "It fell out of your bag last night and I never got the chance to put it back."

"Oh." He said, surprised as she handed him his watch. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's a nice a watch." She said to him before heading back towards the console.

"It's not a watch." He told her, making her pause to turn back towards him.

"How can a watch not be a watch?" Lexi tilted her head, curious as she watched him put it around his wrist.

"I guess you're not the only one who likes to be mysterious." He smirked as he opened the door, pausing to glance back at her. "See you tomorrow."

Lexi huffed out a laugh as Lucas closed the door.

She then turned back towards the Doctor. "We're definitely in for it."

The Doctor smiled slightly as he began working the controls on the console. "Right then, Clara Oswald and Lucas Harper."

Lexi smirked as she put her hand on a lever and pulled it, setting the TARDIS in motion.

"Time to find out who you are."

* * *

 **A/N: There ya have it! 😃**

 **What did y'all think?! 😁**

 **How did you like finally seeing the original Lucas?! 💕**

 **I hope you enjoyed everything!**

 **It took me a little longer than I thought it would to get this episode out to you guys, but I really wanted to do my best on it. You know, since it was the first time we got to really and truly see the character of Lucas Harper. ❤️**

 **Anyway, next up we'll have a special little filler chapter that I just love! It's actually a tiny little Doctor Who minisode. I won't tell y'all which one, though, 'cause I want it to be a surprise.**

 **So...**

 **Until next time! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	16. Rain Gods

**A/N: Hello! 😃**

 **YAY, we get to see River! 💕**

 **I miss her! *insert pouty face here***

 **I may not really be able to get Amy and Rory back, but that doesn't mean I can't have a random visit from River. ️**

 **Anyway, this is that Doctor Who minsode " _Rain Gods_ ". I found it and thought it'd be fun to put into this book.**

 **Note: The Doctor and Lexi won't be in this. It's just gonna be River and our favorite time twins, Jupiter and Sky.**

 **P.S. ~ This little chapter has no relevance to the plot of this book whatsoever. I just thought it would fun to put in so we could get a little bit of just the three cousins being together.**

 **Basically what this little gem of a chapter is, is that Jupiter, Sky and River are about to be sacrificed to the Rain Gods of an unknown planet and the trio must come up with a plan to save themselves. One of them, however, comes up with a "plan" (if you can call it that) that may just save all three of them.**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Outside, Planet of the Rain Gods_...

"Okay, so tell me you have a plan." River said as Sky walked in between her and Jupiter.

"Why am I the one who has to have a plan?" Sky rolled his eyes as the three of them were being lead by a couple of local soldiers. "Either you or Jupe could have a plan. I mean, I am the one who chose the restaurant."

"Yes, dear brother, but what you also did was use your VM to take us to the planet of the Rain Gods where we are now being sacrificed." Jupiter scolded. "So... Plan!"

"Okay, fine, if you want something doing." Sky huffed. "Oh! Here's a plan: we can distract them with something before they actually do sacrifice us to the Rain Gods. And then, when they're distracted, we can run away."

"That's not a plan, that's just hoping!" River objected.

"Hey, it's a start." He shrugged, before squinting and sniffing the air. "Can you smell something?"

River glanced over at Jupiter. "Why are they sacrificing us to the Rain Gods anyway?"

"Apparently is appeases their wrath." Jupiter answered. "And also apparently it's very good for the crops. You know, the whole sacrificing thing."

"Exactly." Sky nodded in agreement. "You know, there is actually some scientific evidence-"

"Oh, so you're in favor of being burnt alive now?" River asked, cutting him off.

"Just looking on the bright side, Riv." Sky told her before was then a loud bang of thunder. "Ah! Hey, hey, and there it is!" He grinned, taking a few steps forward as he looked up at the grey clouds. "Oi! If there are any Rain Gods up there, you're rubbish! Strike me dead if I'm wrong!"

River gawked at Sky before looking over Jupiter. "Is this what happens when you two go off on your own?"

"Don't even get me started." Jupiter rolled her eyes before looking back at her brother. "Sky, what are you doing?!"

"Smelling the Ozone, Jupe." He shrugged as he walked backwards to stand back in between Jupiter and River. "And down!" He grabbed them by the arms, making the three of them crouch down as there was more thunder. "Oh, dear..."

"Sky..." River looked around nervously.

"Ah!" Sky grinned, leaping up with an umbrella as it began raining and lightening. "Ha, ha, ha, eh?"

"Where did this even come from?" River asked as she and Jupiter huddled under the umbrella with Sky.

"Bigger on the inside pockets." He replied. "Now, Riv, Jupe... run!" He quickly glanced over his shoulder at the Couple of local soldiers. "Ah, and by the way, I think the Rain Gods are gonna do that again, you know!"

"That was your plan?" River asked as they ran back through the forest towards the general direction of the restaurant they intended to have dinner at.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" He replied.

"Sky, you literally just hoped for lightening." Jupiter rolled her eyes.

"Yep." He grinned as they ran over a bridge. "And here we are."

"We should be burning at the stake right now, you know." River pointed out.

"But, we're not." He told her. "You and Jupe were in no actual danger. I knew something would come up."

"No, you did not, Skyler." Jupiter shot back, putting emphasis on her brother's full first name.

"Oh, please." He huffed, rolling his eyes.

Jupiter just shook her head, her and River looping there arms through Sky's as they made their way to the restaurant.

"You still didn't know." River insisted as they walked.

"I'm telling you I did!" He denied, trying not to laugh at his cousin's and sister's insistence. "I promise I did!"

* * *

 **A/N: There ya have it! 😁**

 **I just wanted to do something just kinda fun and have it not be so plot focused. And who doesn't love seeing Jupiter, Sky and River all together?! ❤️**

 **Anyway...**

 **Also, I meant to ask y'all this in the AN at the end of " _The Bells of Saint John_ ", but I forgot. What did you think of Lexi's new signature look I picked out? If you need help remembering what it is, you can re-read the first part of " _The Bells of Saint John_ ".**

 **So, yeah. ️**

 **I suppose I'll depart from you lovely people for now.**

 **Coming up next is my prequel for " _The Rings of Akhaten_ ". I'll start work on it as soon as possible and get it published when it's done.**

 **Until then! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	17. The Watch and the Leaf

**A/N: Hello!**

 **This is basically what I'm calling a prequel to " _The Rings of Akhaten_ ". It's really just the first little part of the episode. The Doctor and Lexi go back into Lucas's and Clara's timelines and see how the two friends came to be.**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Outside, Street, Day_...

"Are you sure we're not intruding too much?" Lexi muttered as she and the Doctor walked down the street in 1981.

"We just need to make sure." The Doctor replied as he took in their surroundings. A lovely and breezy autumn day with dry leaves blowing around everywhere. "We never checked the other ones' pasts before."

"I suppose it'll be good to see this Clara's and this Lucas's pasts." Lexi shrugged before giggling slightly. "I feel like we're kinda stalking them, in a sense."

"I wouldn't go that far." The Doctor said.

"You sure?" She quirked an eyebrow at her husband.

"...Okay. Maybe a little." He admitted after a moment. "Still, we don't want to make the same mistakes again like we did with their past selves."

"True." Lexi couldn't help but agree.

The Doctor nodded before noticing four certain people.

"There." He pointed before quickly hiding behind a mailbox, making Lexi roll her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, hide behind a mailbox. That'll he-" She was cut off as the Doctor yanked her behind the mailbox with him so they could watch the scene in front of them unfold.

Two young men walked along the sidewalk, one attempting to read his newspaper as the other one seemed to be trying to fix his watch as it had stopped ticking.

Suddenly, one of the leaves flew right into one of the young men's faces, causing him to bump into the other young man and making both of stagger off the road. Before an oncoming car could hit them, two young women reached out and grabbed them, pulling them to safety.

"Oh, my stars!" Ellie Ravenwood gasped. "Are you all right?"

"Are you okay?" Margo Emerson asked in concerned as she held the man by his shoulders.

As Dave Oswald removed the leaf from his face, James Harper looked up from his now seemingly magically ticking watch.

Both men smiled at the two women. "Yeah."

Lexi smiled at the scene. "All their parents met at the same time..."

 _Outside, Street, Night_...

Dave and Ellie huddled together under an umbrella as thunder rumbled while they ran up the stairs to the front door of Ellie's house.

"So, I've got something for you." Dave told Ellie as he reached into his pocket for something.

"What?" Ellie questioned, smiling curiously.

Dave smiled at her as he pulled out the leaf from the day they met.

"You kept it?" She asked, surprised.

"Of course I kept it."

"Why?"

"Because," Dave began. "this exact leaf had to grow in that exact way in that exact place so that precise wind could tear it from that precise branch and make it fly into this exact face at that exact moment. And if just one of those tiny little things had never happened. I'd never have met you. Which makes this the most important leaf in human history."

As the couple kissed in the rain, the Doctor grabbed Lexi's hand before tugging her along away from where they had been watching across the street, both of them trying to shield themselves from the onslaught of rain that was pouring down on them.

 _Outside, Park, Night_...

"Look at them." Margo smiled as she and James walked hand-in-hand along the pathway of the park as fireflies illuminated the darkness around them. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"They are." James agreed, smiling slightly at his girlfriend's fascination of the small lightning-bugs. "Still not as beautiful as you, though."

"Oh, really?" She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Yes, really." He chuckled, stopping walking which made Margo stop and turn to face him. "You, Margo Emerson, are the most lovely and beautiful woman I have ever had the pleasure of being with." He smiled, bringing her hands up the kiss her knuckles.

Margo blushed, ducking her head slightly before noticing something.

"You're still wearing that same watch." She stated, looking back up him. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you not wear it."

"I haven't taken it off since the day we met." He admitted. "Right before Dave knocked me into the road with him, I was trying to fix this watch. It had stopped working for some reason. No ticking. No clock-hands going around and around. Nothing. But then, almost as if magic was at work, it started ticking again the moment you pulled me out that oncoming car's way. It's like you were what helped allow my _time_ to continue."

"Aww." Lexi whispered as she and the Doctor hid behind a few bushes. If Lexi could describe her feeling right then, she'd basically be the personification of the heart-eyes emoji. She and the Doctor gave the couple one last look before sneaking away back to the TARDIS that was hidden behind some trees.

 _Outside, Park, Day_...

"Why did we stop for fish and chips again?" Lexi enquired as she put a fry in her mouth while she and the Doctor sat on top of a picnic table.

"What?" The Doctor questioned with a mouthful of fries. "We can't eat and observe at the same time?"

"Just curious." Lexi defended before taking another bite just as something hit the Doctor on the side of the head, making him lose his balance and fall off the side of the picnic table.

"Oh, my stars!" Ellie Oswald exclaimed as she ran over to get the soccer ball that had hit him. "Are you all right?"

The Doctor got up quickly, hands held in front of him as if to fight off all-comers, martial arts-style. He lowered his hands when he saw her, swallowing what was left of the fries in his mouth.

"Fine." The Doctor then nodded as Lexi got off the picnic table to come stand beside him. "Marvelous. Refulgent."

"Tiny bit embarrassed?" Lexi smirked.

"Possibly." He admitted, making his wife giggled. "That's not dangerous, though, is it?"

"What's not?" Ellie frowned.

"Embarrassment."

"Not usually. Not to my knowledge."

"Good. Hey, phew." The Doctor sighed in relief as Lexi patted him on the arm.

"Mate, I'm so sorry." Dave Oswald said as he came up, his arm around a little girl. "She wants to be Bryan Robson."

"No worries." The Doctor waved him off. "My fault. No harm done." He bent over slightly to be more at eye-level with the little girl. "Hello there...?"

"Clara." Ellie informed him.

Lexi blinked as the Doctor smiled. "Ah. Hello there, Clara."

 _Outside, Tower Bridge, Evening_...

The Doctor and Lexi walked along Tower Bridge in the bustling city of London on September 1, 2001.

"What are the chances we'll see them here?" The Doctor asked as he and Lexi stopped and leaned against the side of the bridge, overlooking the Thames.

"They're slim, I'll admit." Lexi told him. "But he is from here. So, let's just hope."

"Dad, Mum, why'd you bring me out here?" Eighteen year old Lucas Harper asked as he, his father and his mother walked right past the Doctor and Lexi, not even glancing at them.

"Don't know." James Harper shrugged as he, his wife and their son stopped a mere ten feet away from the Couple of Time.

"It's a nice evening, though." Margo Harper pointed out. "We figured 'Why not?'."

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with it being my birthday, would it?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at his parents.

"Why don't you tell us?" His father smiled slightly as he pulled out a small black box from his pocket and held it out to Lucas.

"Happy birthday, Lucas." Margo told her son, smiling as he took the small box from James.

Lucas gazed at the small black box curiously, glancing up at his parents before looking back down at the box and opening it to reveal a familiar looking watch.

"You didn't." Lucas muttered, looking back up to his parents.

"Turn it over." His father told him.

Curious, Lucas turned his father's watch over in his hand, looking at the engraving on the back.

 **~o0o~**

 _Time is precious... Waste it wisely._ – J.H.

 **~o0o~**

Lucas smiled down at the watch. "Dad, you're giving me your watch?"

"It's your watch now, son." His father told him. "Had the engraving put on there especially for you."

"Thank you." Lucas said earnestly, closing the box before hugging his father and clapping him on the back as Margo watched them fondly, the Doctor and Lexi discretely watching them from their places ten feet away.

 _Outside, Cemetery, Day_...

"I can't believe he's gone." Nineteen year old Lucas sniffled as he and sixteen year old Clara stood in front of his father's gravestone.

 _~o0o~_

 **JAMES HARPER**

 _BELOVED HUSBAND AND FATHER_

BORN

30th MARCH 1958

DIED

7th MAY 2003

 _~o0o~_

"I'm so sorry, Lucas." Clara said softly, looping her arm through his and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I wish there was something more I could do to make it easier."

"No." Lucas said, reaching and patting her hand in reassurance. "Your company is enough." He then glanced down at the watch his father had given to him just a little over a year and a half previously. Time really was precious.

Lexi leaned against a tree some distance from the grave, watching before turning and walking away as she heard the faint sound of the TARDIS materializing off in the distance.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"I saw him." Lexi said as she walked into the TARDIS, joining the Doctor at the console. "She was there with him. His father died, Doctor. In May of 2003."

"And I just saw her." He replied as Lexi went to the monitor on the other side of the console. "He was there with her as well. Her mother died. In 2005. Nearly two years after Lucas's dad."

"What in the hell is going on?" Lexi muttered. "It's like they're these enigmas that can't... that can't, um... they just can't be."

The Doctor bit his lip in thought as he leaned against the console, looking at pictures of Victorian Clara and Victorian Lucas on the monitor.

"They're just people." The Doctor insisted. "How can they be?"

"They can't be, but they are. They can't be." Lexi muttered as she looked at pictures of Hawthorne and Oswin and their credentials for the 'Alaska'. "They're not possible."

"Well then," The Doctor said as he pushed his monitor away. "let's go to Wednesday and get them."

"Yeah." Lexi nodded, agreeing as she pushed her monitor away. "It's about damn time we showed them the stars."

The Doctor grinned at her before he pulled the lever, setting the TARDIS in motion.

Their Impossibles awaited.

* * *

 **A/N: There ya go! 😁**

 **I hope you enjoyed it! 😃**

 **I'm actually kinda excited about the next episode. ❤️ I re-watched it the other day and it made me remember how much I enjoyed it. 💕**

 **Anyway, with that said, the next episode shall be... " _The Rings of Akhaten_ "! 🎉**

 **Until then, lovelies! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 ** _~Maddy_**


	18. The Rings of Akhaten: Part 1

**A/N: *speaks into megaphone***

 **HELLOOOOO!**

 **Guess who's back?!**

 **That's right! It's me!**

 **Oh how I've missed this story!**

 **I haven't written anything for this story since... August, I think. Life seriously got in the way. I live in South-East Texas and life sorta got derailed after Hurricane Harvey hit at the end of August and caused very widespread flood damage. Just about everyone I know either had damage to their homes, lost their cars. Just... a lot happened. Luckily materialistic things can be replaced. I'm just happy that everyone came out of the storm alive.**

 **Anyway, I'm happy to be getting back to writing this story and running around through time and space with the Doctor and our glorious Lexi Pond. And also seeing how things go with our new companions: Clara and Lucas. ️**

 **I hope that y'all still will enjoy this story 'cause I'm definitely not gonna give up on it. I mean, after this episode we only have 6 episodes to get through before we get to... " _The Day of the Doctor_ "!**

 **I seriously cannot wait for that! I rewatched it the other day and it just made me even more excited for when I get to write it. It is definitely going to be fun.**

 **Alright, well, I suppose I won't keep y'all any longer and just let you get on with reading the episode.**

 **So, without further ado, let us read... " _The Rings of Akhaten_ "!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, Maitland House, Front Hall, Day_...

Miss Clara Oswald sat on the stairs as she held one of her most valued possessions in hand, the book ' _101 Places to See_ ', close to her chest while her finger nervously tapped the spine.

Just then, the front door swung open.

"Sorry I'm late!" Mr. Lucas Harper exclaimed as he entered the front hall, shutting the door behind him before discarding his messenger bag by the coat rack.

"You're not late, don't worry." Clara giggled as Lucas came and sat on the stairs with her. "They're not even here yet."

"Good." Lucas sighed as he leaned back. "Staff meeting ran late at school. Trust me, Clara, if you ever become a teacher, you're going to hate staff meetings. Everyone does."

Clara laughed and opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of the TARDIS materializing outside.

Clara and Lucas shared a look and grinned before the sound of the doorbell ringing was heard, making them quickly stand up and run for the front door.

 _Inside, TARDIS_...

"So we're moving through actual time?" Lucas enquired as he and Clara walked around the console in excitement, the Doctor watching them with a smile.

"Is it made of anything? You know, time?" Clara chimed in as she walked past Lexi, said woman sitting in a jump-seat as she looked down at something in her small black leather pocketbook/wallet. "I mean, if you can just rotor through it, it must be made of something. You know, stuff like jams made of strawberries. So what's it made of?"

"Not strawberries, that's for sure." Lexi sniggered, closing her small pocketbook and putting it in an inside pocket of her long emerald green waterfall Duster coat before crossing her arms as she watched the two companions take in the whole room with unwavering fascination. "I mean, time can't just be made out of strawberries. That'd be unacceptable."

Lucas poked his head into view from the other side of the console, raising an eyebrow in question. "And we can go anywhere?"

"Within reason." The Doctor chuckled as he walked up to stand right beside the console.

"Which it usually is never reasonable." Lexi commented, getting up from the jump-seat she was sitting in to come and stand next to the Doctor.

Clara quickly rushed around the console to stand directly in front of the Doctor and Lexi. "So, basically what you're saying is that we could go anywhere? Like... backwards in time?"

"And space. Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"And forwards in time?" Lucas questioned, now standing directly behind the Doctor and Lexi and making them whirl around to face him.

"And space. Totally." The Doctor nodded at him before twirling around again to press a few buttons on the console.

"Now," Lexi began, a grin spreading across her face as she took a couple steps back to get a better view of Lucas and Clara. "the Doctor and I were not kidding when we said you could go anywhere you'd like. So, where do you want to go and what would you like to see?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Clara suddenly realized, quickly making her over to Lucas. "Lucas, it's like someone's asking you your favorite book and suddenly you forget every book you've ever read."

"I've never experienced that." Lexi commented, walking in between Clara and Lucas to join the Doctor at the console.

"I think I get it." Lucas said, ignoring Lexi's comment. "I mean, how can you pick somewhere to go when you literally have the whole of time and space at your fingertips?"

"Exactly!" Clara exclaimed, snapping and pointing at her friend.

"Hello!" The Doctor spoke up again, getting their attention. "Back to the question."

"Right." Clara nodded at him before grabbing Lucas's hand bringing him into a huddle so they could talk more privately.

"They really are a pair, aren't they?" Lexi giggled quietly as she and the Doctor watched them.

"Definitely." He agreed with a chuckled before Clara and Lucas suddenly whirled around to face them.

"So, decided?" Lexi questioned, an amused smile on her face.

"It's difficult to make a decision like this." Lucas began. "But, we think we've figured out a term that might just help figure out a place to go and see something we'd like to see."

"And that would be?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

Lucas and Clara shared a look before looking back to the Doctor and Lexi.

"Something awesome."

The Doctor and Lexi grinned at them, snapping their fingers before putting the TARDIS in motion.

 _Outside, Space_...

The Doctor excitedly opened the TARDIS doors before holding Clara by the shoulders and ushering her outside as Lexi held onto Lucas's arm while carefully guiding him outside as well.

"Can you both feel the light on your eyelids?" Lexi enquired before shutting the TARDIS door.

"Mm-hm." Clara and Lucas both nodded as they kept their eyes closed.

"Well, that's the light of an alien sun." The Doctor informed softly, positioning Clara as Lexi did the same with Lucas. "Just forward a couple of steps."

"Are you ready, Lucas?" Lexi whispered to him.

"I don't think I'd ever be ready for something like this." He replied. "But let's have a look anyway."

"That's the spirit." The Doctor chuckled. "Now, both of you... open your eyes."

Clara giggled excitedly before she and Lucas slowly opened their eyes.

"Woah..." Lucas whispered, taking in the sight that was before them.

The quartet were standing on a large chunk of rock – possible asteroid – that was part of a set of rings circling a large sun. One asteroid was larger and looked to have been settled with what looked like a city.

"Lucas Harper and Clara Oswald..." Lexi began as she came to stand in between the two friends. "welcome to the Rings of Akhaten."

"It's..." Clara trailed off, eyes wide at the sheer beauty of it all.

"It is. It so completely is." The Doctor agreed when he saw the look on Clara's face. "But wait! There's more."

"More what?" She enquired.

"Wait, wait, wait." He said quickly, checking his watch. "In about five, four, three, two..."

Just then, the asteroids passed and revealed another asteroid that had a large pyramid that shined as the light from the sun hit it.

"What is that?" Lucas asked, awed at the sight.

"It's called The Pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten." Lexi explained. "It's a holy site for the Sun-singers of Akhet."

"The who of the what?" Clara asked, smiling slightly as she glanced at Lexi.

"Seven worlds orbiting the same star, Miss Oswald." Lexi smiled, glancing at Clara before looking back towards the Pyramid. "Dear, would you like to explain? I feel like I'm doing all the talking."

"Don't mind if I do." The Doctor chuckled, rubbing his hands together before pointing towards the asteroid the Pyramid was on. "All the seven worlds share the belief that life in the universe originated there on that planet."

"All life?" Lucas tilted his head, not taking his eyes off the Pyramid.

"In the universe." The Doctor nodded in confirmation.

"Did it?"

"Well, it's what they believe." The Doctor shrugged. "It is a nice story."

"Can we see it?" Clara asked. "You know, up close?"

"We wouldn't have brought you both out here if we couldn't." Lexi grinned as she held out her hand, Lucas taking ahold of it as Clara did the same with the Doctor before they all rushed back to the TARDIS.

 _Outside, Marketplace_...

The TARDIS materialized, hidden behind some stalls off the main avenue of the marketplace.

The Doctor and Lexi hurried out of the TARDIS excitedly, their hands still linked with their companions.

The Doctor and Lexi were smiling with glee as Clara and Lucas both stopped short when they saw all the alien races walking about. The two friends walked a little ahead of the Doctor and Lexi, eyes darting around in wonder at the sheer amazingness of the whole place.

Lexi herself stopped at a stall, looking over the various exotic fruit that was laid out as the Doctor peered over her shoulder before reaching around her and picking up what looked like some sort of rainbow miniature pineapple.

"That looks... delicious?" Lexi giggled as the Doctor turned the fruit over in his hands while still keeping his arms around her. "I wonder how it tastes."

"Hopefully better than it looks." He told her quietly making her giggle as Clara and Lucas made their way back over to them as they continued to look at all the aliens races.

"Where are all these species from exactly?" Lucas questioned.

"Oh, you know, the local system mostly." The Doctor replied as he set the little rainbow pineapple back down before taking his arms from around Lexi and turning around.

"Well, what do you call them?" Clara asked curiously.

"Oh, so many different things." Lexi said as she turned around as well before pointed in the direction of a particular alien couple. "There go some Panbabylonians."

"Ooh, a Lugal-Irra-Kush and some Lucanians." The Doctor grinned as he, too, pointed in the direction of a couple different species walking alongside each other. "Oh, And there's a Hooloovoo. Ah! Qom VoTivig." He explained before sharing a special greeting with said alien.

"Oh, and if you look just over there," Lexi began as she came up in between Lucas and Clara, said companions looking in the direction Lexi was pointing and seeing some sort of alien standing at a stall as it chatted with the vendor. "that chap is a Terraberserker of the Kodion Belt. I remember the Doctor telling me you don't really see many of them around anymore." She then pointed to another alien a couple stalls down. "That's an Ultramancer. You know, Doctor, I forget how I liked it here."

"We should come back here more often, shouldn't we?" The Doctor mused as he came to stand directly behind her.

"Wait, you two have been here before?" Clara asked, glancing back at the Doctor before looking to Lexi.

"Oh, yeah." Lexi grinned at her before grabbing the Doctor's hand and walking a little ahead of Clara and Lucas. "A while back the Doctor brought me and my sister here once for our birthday."

"What, hang on!" Lucas quickly said as he and Clara ran after the Doctor and Lexi before bumping into a couple of tell aliens, one of the aliens being even taller than Lucas.

The duo stared at them before continuing on, the two aliens merely shaking their heads.

Lucas and Clara soon found the Doctor and Lexi at a booth where they were both beaming over glowing blue spheres in a bowl.

"Exotic fruits of some description." The Doctor noted as he and Lexi scanned the fruit with their sonics.

"Also non-toxic, which is good." Lexi commented. "As well as non-hallucinogenic."

"High in free radicals." The Doctor continued as he and Lexi each handed Clara and Lucas a glowing-blue-sphere-fruit. "And low in other stuff, I shouldn't wonder."

The Couple of Time watched as their companions both cautiously took a bite of the fruits before making faces.

Lexi raised an eyebrow. "So, it's a no on the luminous fruit? You know, if that actually is a fruit. I'm not even too sure."

"Nah." Lucas shook his head before the four of them all began began walking alongside each other down the avenue of the marketplace. "So, why is everyone here?"

"Oh, you're both gonna love this." The Doctor grinned. "It's for what is called the Festival of Offerings. It takes place every thousand years or so, when the rings align."

"It's actually quite a beautiful concept." Lexi commented. "And it's a pretty big thing, locally."

"Like Pancake Tuesday." The Doctor chimed in, a small smile planted on his face.

"Not really the same thing." Lexi sighed, rolling her eyes playfully as she and the Doctor went ahead again.

Clara and Lucas then turned around, only to come face-to-face with an alien that seemed to have a dog-like face.

"Whoa!" Clara exclaimed, her and Lucas's eyes widening as the alien barked and snarled at them.

Lucas leaned slightly back from the alien. "Erm, Doctor? Glorious?"

"What's happening?" Clara asked quickly as the Doctor and Lexi arrived, the Doctor then yapping back at the alien. "Why's it angry?"

"This isn't an it, it's a she." The Doctor informed before gesturing at Lexi, Clara and Lucas. "Dor'een, meet my wife: the Glorious. And this is Clara and Lucas. Lex, Clara, Lucas, meet Dor'een."

Lexi smiled brightly, giving the alien a small wave. "Hello, Dor'een."

"Doreen?" Clara tilted her head in question at the name.

"Loose translation." The Doctor explained. "She sounds a bit grumpy but she's a total love, actually, aren't you?" He tickled Dor'een under her chin. "Yes, you are. She's just asking if we fancy renting a moped."

Dor'een then backed out of the way to show the quartet two mopeds that were ready for use.

Lucas barked and Dor'een barked in return.

Lucas then glanced at Lexi. "How much do they cost?"

"Ooh, that's one thing I could never forget about this place." Lexi replied, a fond smile on her face. "It's not money that you pay with for things around here. It has to be something... valuable. Something that holds sentimental value. You know, like a photograph or a love letter, something like that. It's what's used for their currency."

"Psychometry, it's called." The Doctor nodding in agreement with Lexi as they faced their companions. "Objects psychically imprinted with their history. The more treasured they are, the more value they hold."

Clara frowned. "That's horrible."

"Better than using bits of paper." The Doctor shrugged.

"Then you pay."

"With what?" He questioned.

"You're a thousand years old." She reminded him. "You must have something you care about."

The Doctor glanced at Lexi, said woman giving him a pointed look as Clara and Lucas began looking around again.

The Doctor sighed, reaching into his pocket, pulling out his sonic. He stared at it for a moment before just shaking his head and putting it back in his inside coat pocket. He then looked to Lexi, raising an eyebrow.

Lexi bit her bottom lip in thought for a moment before feeling around in her coat pockets, her hand coming in contacts with her sonic screwdriver. True, that did mean a lot to her. It was the Doctor's wedding/Christmas gift to her after they were married. You know, the day she had told him she was pregnant with the twins. Lexi's sonic did mean a lot to her, but not as much as the Doctor's sonic did to him. Lexi then let her hand go to her other coat pocket, her hand coming into contact with her small black leather pocketbook.

Nope.

Lexi sighed, looking back at the Doctor and shaking her head.

The Doctor just sighed himself before grabbing Lexi's hand and leading her away to some other part of the marketplace.

Unknown to them, Clara and Lucas were now on their own.

Clara laughed at something Lucas had said before they both glanced back, realizing that the Doctor and Lexi were no longer there.

"Doctor? Glorious?" Clara called out as she and Lucas began looking for them.

"Glorious, Doctor, where are you?" Lucas called out as he and Clara continued to look for the two time and space travelers just as a young girl almost ran into them, looking a bit scared.

Clara frowned slightly as she tilted her head at the little girl. "Are you okay?"

The girl then quickly ran in between her and Lucas just before two men dressed similarly to the girl came around the corner.

"Have you seen her?" One of the man asked, looking directly at Lucas.

"Who?" Lucas asked, confused as to what/whom the man could be talking about.

"The Queen of Years." He replied.

"I don't know who you're talking about, mate." Lucas frowned slightly.

The two men shared a look before then just brushing past Lucas and Clara and continuing their search for the girl.

Lucas then glanced at Clara, raising an eyebrow in question.

Clara quickly nodded before the two of them looked around and went to find the girl themselves.


	19. The Rings of Akhaten: Part 2

_Inside, Warehouse, Day_...

"Hello?" Clara called out as she and Lucas cautiously entered the dark and cluttered warehouse.

"Hello?" Lucas also called out, he and Clara taking a few steps forwards towards the center of the room.

Suddenly there was a crashing thud, making the duo spin around with wide eyes. The two of them continued on a few steps before stopping abruptly when the little girl from before stepped out from behind some boxes.

"Hey, are you okay?" Clara asked the girl gently. "Are you lost?"

Scared, the girl quickly ran, making Clara and Lucas share a look before going and looking for her.

The little girl was hiding behind some boxes and tried to run as Clara and Lucas passed her hiding place. She bumped into some furniture and let out a scream as Clara and Lucas turned around.

The three of them kinda just stood there and looked at each other for a moment before Clara and Lucas both couldn't help but smile and laugh, the little girl joining in.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked the girl kindly as he crouched down to be closer to eye level with her.

The girl nodded timidly as her gaze drifted between the two people before her.

"What are you doing?" Clara asked her curiously.

"Hiding." The little girl answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucas tilted his head slightly. "Why are you hiding?"

Confused, the girl looked back and forth between Lucas and Clara. "You don't know me?"

"Sorry, actually not." Clara told, crossing her arms as Lucas stood back up to his full height.

"So, why did you follow me?" She questioned them, a small frown on her face.

"We wanted to help." Lucas honestly informed her. "You looked like you were lost."

"I don't believe you."

Clara glanced behind her before returning her attention back to the little girl. "We've got no idea who you might be and that's the truth."

"You see," Lucas began. "we've never been here before. We've never been anywhere like here before. All we did was see a little girl who looked like she needed help."

The little girl raised her gaze to meet Lucas's kind eyes. "Really?"

"Cross my heart." Lucas told her, smiling a bit.

"Can you help me?" She asked, looking back and forth between Lucas and Clara.

Clara smiled down at her. "That's why we're still here."

"I need to hide." The girl said quickly, looking over her shoulder towards the entrance.

Clara and Lucas let there gazes drift to where the girl's was just before she turned back around.

"Come on." Clara told her, holding out her hand. "We know the perfect box."

 _Outside, Marketplace_...

"Is the box big enough?" The girl asked as she continued to hold Clara's hand.

"You'd be surprised." Lucas chuckled knowingly as he walked in front of the girl and Clara, all of them looking around cautiously as they made their way to the TARDIS. The trio were currently hiding until the way to the TARDIS was actually clear.

Just then, Lucas and Clara spotted someone coming. The two friends quickly hid the young girl behind them and whistled ever-so innocently until the alien passed them.

"Alright, come on." Clara said as she took the girl's hand again, the two of them and Lucas continuing on to the TARDIS.

"What is this?" The girl asked as the three of them walked up to the TARDIS.

"It's a sort of space ship... thingy." Lucas pursed his lip in thought, tilting his head slightly as he stood back to look at the blue box. "Timey, spacey."

"It's teeny." The girl stated.

"Just you wait." Clara laughed, pulling on the TARDIS door, frowning when it wouldn't open. "Oh, come on!"

"What's wrong?" The girl questioned, Lucas himself stepping up behind her.

"I don't know." Clara said quietly, taking a step back to fully look at the big blue box. She frowned slightly when she felt like the box was giving off a certain vibe. "...I don't think it likes me." She concluded before knocking on the door and pulling on the handles. "Come on! Let me in."

The little girl then sneaked around to the back of the TARDIS, Lucas watching her curiously as she went and Clara taking no notice at all.

"You do realize she's gone, don't you?" Lucas questioned, crossing his arms as he watched Clara continue to knock on the TARDIS door.

"What?" Clara asked, turning around and seeing that the little girl was no long there with them. "Where'd she go?" She asked before peeking around the side of the TARDIS. "Hey, little girl?"

"She's behind the box." Lucas informed, walking up behind Clara.

"My name's Merry." The little girl told them, peering around from the back of the TARDIS before ducking back behind it again.

Clara and Lucas quickly made their way behind the TARDIS themselves before each of them sat down on either side of the girl, all three of them resting their backs against the TARDIS.

"Can you tell us what's going on, Merry?" Lucas asked her gently. "Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"No." Merry shook her head. "I'm just scared."

"Of what?" Clara frowned in concern.

"Getting it wrong." She told them.

"Okay," Lucas began. "could you do us a big favor and pretend that we're like total space aliens and explain?"

Merry nodded. "I'm Merry Gejelh."

"Yeah..." Clara trailed off. "My friend and I are really not local. Sorry."

"The Queen of Years?" Merry quirked an eyebrow as she looked back and forth at Clara and Lucas. "They chose me when I was a baby, The day the last Queen of Years died."

"Okay..." Lucas nodded slowly.

"I'm the vessel of our history." Merry explained to them. "I know every chronicle. Every poem. Every legend. Every song."

"Every single one?" Clara's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "Blimey. I hated history."

"Excuse me." Lucas leaned past Merry to look at Clara. "That happens to be my vocation, in case you've forgotten." He then sat back up straight and looked at Merry. "That is really fascinating, though. Can you tell us more?"

"I have to sing a song in front of everyone. A special song." She explained to them, looking down at her hands as they rested in her lap. "I have to sing it to a god. And I'm really scared."

"Well, everyone gets scared sometimes." Clara smiled reassuringly at her. "Especially when they're little."

"You know," Lucas began, not looking at Clara and Merry as stared off into space while speaking. "when I was little I used to be terrified of getting lost. Like you said, Clara, everyone gets scared at some point. You never really think about getting lost until it happens to you. And then, after it's over and you've been found, you can't help but be just a little bit worried about it happening again."

"But what do you do about that?" Merry asked. "How can you make yourself not be scared?"

"The thing is, you can't. Not really, anyway." Lucas shrugged, glancing over and down at Merry. "There are going to be times that you can't help but be scared. However, when those times come, all you have to do is focus."

"On what?" Merry shook her head, confused as to what Lucas was trying to tell her.

"That, my Friend," Lucas gave her a kind smile. "is something that only you can answer for yourself. It's different for everyone."

"Interesting way of looking at it, Lucas." Clara complimented him before looking down to Merry. "Now, Merry, about this special song... What are you scared of, exactly?"

"Getting it wrong." She said in frustration. "Getting it wrong and making Grandfather angry."

"And do you think you'll get it wrong?" Clara questioned her. "Because I don't. I don't think you'll get it wrong. I think you, Merry Gejelh, will get it very, very right."

Merry glanced over at Clara and smiled before giving her a quick hug.

Lucas smiled at the two before standing up and offering them his hands to help them to their feet. All three of them then began to make their way back to the marketplace.

Lucas kinda lagged back a little and took a couple of steps backwards to stand at the TARDIS doors again. He tilted his head slightly and gently laid his hand against the door, the TARDIS giving off a gentle hum at the contact.

Lucas then slowly slid his hand down the door before wrapping his fingers around the door handle, waiting a moment before effortlessly pushing the door open. Surprised, Lucas quickly closed the door and took a couple of steps back, eyes wide.

"What in the...?" Lucas tilted his head in confusion, the TARDIS humming amusedly at him. Lucas quickly shook his before rushing off to catch up with Clara and Merry.

It didn't take him long before he turned a corner and saw Clara watching as the two men that were looking for Merry were placing a flower necklace around her neck before ushering her away.

"So they're just gonna take her?" Lucas questioned as he walked up behind Clara.

"Yeah." She answered, turning around to face her friend. "She didn't seem scared anymore. Well, she didn't look like she was. She just needed a bit of reassurance. Anyway, where'd you go?"

"Got distracted." Was all Lucas replied with just before the Doctor and Lexi walked up to them, the couple each eating a luminous blue fruit.

"What have you both been getting up to?" Lexi asked, swallowing a bite of the blue fruit.

"Oh, you know..." Clara shrugged. "exploring."

"Well, that is one of the most fun things to do." The Doctor commented before turning back around and walking off again, Lexi following close behind him.

"Where are we going now?" Lucas called after them as he and Clara rushed to follow the duo.

 _Inside, Amphitheater, Night_...

The grand amphitheater, facing the temple, was definitely a special place to see.

Two priests (of sorts) escorted Merry to a small pedestal in the center along the ledge. And just as the two priests walked back the way came, the Doctor, Lexi, Clara and Lucas rushed through. All four of them skidding to a stop.

"Ssh! Ssh!" The Doctor said as they all climbed past others to get to their seats. "Sorry, sorry, excuse me. Sorry, excuse me."

"Sorry." Lexi whispered as she and the Doctor sat down, Lucas and Clara sitting down directly in front of them.

"Are we even supposed to be here?" Clara asked, glancing back at the Doctor.

"Shh." He told her.

"But are we?"

"Shh!" He told her again before looking past Clara and to another alien. "Sorry."

The alien just growled before directing its attention ahead of it again.

On the pedestal, Merry looked nervously over to the temple. She then turned her head and saw Clara and Lucas giving her encouraging looks.

Merry then turned her head back to stare straight ahead of her before taking a deep breath and beginning to sing.

" _Akhaten... Oh, god of Akhaaaten..._ "

"They're singing to the Akhaten in the Temple." Lexi whispered, leaning forward a little in between Clara and Lucas. "I did a bit of research on it once. They call the Akhaten the 'Old God'. Sometimes 'Grandfather'."

" _Oh, god of Akhaaaten..._ "

"What are they singing?" Lucas questioned.

"The Long Song." The Doctor answered, leaning forward and nudging Lexi over a little so they could both talk quietly in between Clara and Lucas. "It's a lullaby. A lullaby without end. To feed the old god. Keep him asleep. It's something that's been going on for millions of years. Chorister handing over to Chorister. Generation after generation after generation."

" _Akhaten..._ "

Lucas and Clara both looked around as the members of the audience held out their hands, each containing something valuable to them.

"What are they doing?" Clara asked as Merry continued to sing.

"Those are offerings." Lexi answered. "Remember what I said after we first arrived here? Around here, you give things that are of value to you. Special. Mementoes to feed the Old God."

Clara giggled quietly as Lucas just continued to look around in wonder at the beautiful spectacle that was happening around them, watching as the offerings were accepted before disappearing into small bits of golden light.

" _Oh, god of... Oh, god of... Oh god of Akhaaaten..._ "

The audience themselves soon joined in on the signing.

" _Lay down..._ " The Doctor sang as he himself tried to join in, Lexi lightly slapping his arm to make him stop.

" _Akhaaaten... Oh, god of... Oh, god of... Oh, god of... Oh, god of Akhaten._ " Merry continued to sing, but stop abruptly when there was a loud rumbling. She squinted her eyes to look at the temple, soon realizing something was wrong before turning around to face the gathering. They all knew something wasn't right.

As everyone began to look around, confused, Merry was suddenly wrapped in a force field and lifted from the pedestal.

Lexi quickly stood up, her face devoid of the somewhat carefree expression it had possessed just seconds before.

"Okay, what's happening?" Lucas asked as he, Clara and the Doctor all stood up as well. "This isn't supposed to happen, right?"

"Help!" Merry screamed.

"Is somebody gonna do something?" Clara asked, looking back at the Doctor and Lexi as they confused to stare straight ahead. "Excuse me, is somebody going to help her?"

Without a word, the Doctor and Lexi ran off with Clara and Lucas quickly chasing after them as Merry was being pulled towards the temple.


	20. The Rings of Akhaten: Part 3

_Outside, Marketplace, Day_...

The Doctor and Lexi hurried through the stalls as Lucas and Clara followed them.

"Why are we walking away?" Clara asked frantically as she rushed up behind the Couple of Time. "We can't just walk away."

"Clara's right, this is our fault!" Lucas agreed as rushed to catch up with them. "We talked her into doing this!"

The Doctor and Lexi both stopped abruptly, turning around before walking back to Clara and Lucas.

"Listen." Lexi began as she crossed her arms, keeping direct eye contact with the duo. "I haven't been at this as long as the Doctor. But, I have been with him long enough to know that there is one very important thing you always need to remember."

"She's right." The Doctor agreed, putting a hand on Clara's shoulder. "If you're going to travel with us, there is one very important thing you need know. Well, one things aside from the blue box and the two hearts."

"What?" Lucas questioned, crossing his arms.

"We don't walk away." The Doctor and Lexi said in unison before turning around and continuing on.

Lucas and Clara shared a look before quickly running after the two, all of them soon finding themselves arriving at Dor'een's stall.

The Doctor yapped at Dor'een, Dor'een barking back and growling in response. The Doctor and Lexi patted themselves down, glancing at each before turning around to look at Clara and Lucas.

"We need a couple of things that are precious." Lexi told them.

"Well, you both must have something." Clara res indeed. "I mean, with all the places you've seen..."

"This." The Doctor and Lexi pulled out his sonic from his pocket. "I don't want to give it away. It comes in handy."

Clara raised an eyebrow at him. "You're 1,000 years old. And that's it, your spanner?"

"Screwdriver." He corrected her.

"What about you?" Lucas turned to Lexi. "Is there anything you've got?"

"I've got a sonic, too." She replied. "And like the Doctor, I can't give it up."

Lucas sighed and bit his lip in thought before he looked down at his left wrist as Clara looked down at her right hand, Lucas sliding the sleeve of his navy blue jacket up a bit before nervously running a finger over the black leather band of the watch he was wearing as Clara nervously touched a ring on one of her fingers.

Clara looked from her wrist. "It's my Mum's."

"And this was my Dad's." Lucas informed them as he touched the gold watch-clasp.

The Doctor and Lexi chose not to say anything, knowing it was their decision.

After a moment's more of thought, Clara and Lucas each took off their respective possessions and handed them to Dor'een. Dor'een sensed the importance of the ring and watch as soon as she took hold of them. She quickly accepted them as payment for the two mopeds. The Doctor then kissed his hand and tapped Clara on the head as Lexi just gave Lucas's arm a friendly squeeze before both of them went to the mopeds.

 _Outside, Space_...

Clara held onto the Doctor as he flew the sort of spacey moped, Lucas holding onto Lexi as she flew the other one.

"Merry!" Clara exclaimed as she reached out to the young girl as they flew closer to her. Their hands came close to touching, grazing each other before Merry was pulled downwards and into the temple, screaming.

 _Outside, Temple, Night_...

"Brakes! Brakes!" Lucas shouted as they all were approaching the temple rather quickly.

The four of them screamed as they came to a skidding stop, Clara's arms gripping the Doctor's neck as she held her eyes closed. Lucas breathed nervously, eyes wide as held onto Lexi tightly.

"Lucas, we're on solid ground now." Lexi giggled at the man's behavior.

"And, Clara, you can let me go now, too." The Doctor chimed in.

"No I can't." She shook her head.

"You're gonna have to." He told her.

"Why?"

"Because it really hurts."

"Sorry." Clara said quickly before letting go of him before the two of them got off the moped.

"Are we sure this is safe?" Lucas questioned as he unwrapped his arms from around Lexi, the two of them getting off their moped.

"Not at all." Lexi replied, not looking at him as she followed the Doctor to the temple door, the two of them both using their sonics on it.

"Oh, that's interesting." The Doctor commented as he checked the readings on his sonic screwdriver. "A frequency modulated acoustic lock."

"The key seems to change ten million, trillion, zillion times per second." Lexi stated, holding her sonic up in front of her face.

"What does that mean?" Clara asked. "Can we open it?"

"Technically, no." The Doctor answered. "In reality, also no."

"That's never stopped us before though, eh?" Lexi smirked, glancing at the Doctor.

"Not ever." He agreed before looking back to the door. "So... let's give it a stab."

"Doctor, don't..." Lexi tried to say but was too late as the Doctor made a run for the door and slammed into it with his shoulder. Lexi closed her eyes and sighed. "...do that."

The Doctor grunted in frustration before just pointing his sonic at the door.

"How can everyone just stand there and watch?" Lucas wondered out loud, glancing back at the amphitheater a little across the way.

"Because this is sacred ground." The Doctor answered as Lexi walked up beside him and also pointed her sonic at the door to try and help him.

"But she's a child." Clara stated in agreement with Lucas.

"And he's a god." Lexi responded as she and the Doctor backed up from the door a little bit. "Well, he is to them, anyway."

Suddenly the sound of Merry's scream alerted the four of them and made them snap to attention and rush to the door again, the Doctor and Lexi using their sonics to try and get the door open.

"Merry!" Clara shouted, banging on the door. "Merry, hold on!"

"We'll be there soon, Merry!" Lucas shouted, trying to let Merry hear him from the other side of the door. "Doctor? Glorious?"

"Yes, yes, we're getting there." Lexi said quickly, slapping her sonic against her palm, grinning as it buzzed. "Oh! Brilliant!"

"Brilliant what?" Clara asked, confused as she looked from the door to the Doctor and Lexi.

The Doctor grinned as his sonic also made a buzzing noise. "Our sonics have locked on to the acoustic tumblers."

"And that means...?"

"That means..." Lexi trailed off as she and the Doctor took a couple of steps back. "that we get to do this."

The Couple of Time aimed their sonics at the base of the door, making it slowly rise.

 _Inside, Temple_...

Merry turned around at the sound of the door opening, eyes widening when she saw the Doctor and Lexi standing underneath it as they kept it open with their sonic screwdrivers.

"Hello there." Lexi smiled kindly at the girl. "I'm the Glorious." She introduced herself before nodding to the Doctor. "That's the Doctor." She then nodded to Clara and Lucas as they carefully made their way inside. "And I believe you've met Lucas and Clara." She stated before turning off her sonic. "They were supposed to be having a nice day out."

"Still, it is early yet." The Doctor chimed in as the door started to close even with the use of just his sonic. Lexi quickly activated her sonic again so as to help the Doctor keep it open with less difficulty. "Are you coming, then? Also, did my wife and I mention that the door is immensely heavy?"

"Leave." Merry told all of them. "You'll wake him!"

"The door is actually quite extraordinarily heavy." Lexi grunted, holding her sonic with both hands.

The door then started pushing down harder, forcing the Doctor and Lexi to their knees.

"Lucas? Clara?" The Doctor gave a look to the duo, indicating that they needed to hurry along with the task at hand.

"Uh-huh." Clara nodded in acknowledgment as she and Lucas scooted past the Doctor and Lexi and into the temple, making their way by the a singing priest that was trying to keep the creature, Akhaten, in the glass case asleep.

"Merry, we really need to leave. Now." Lucas told her, holding out a hand to the young girl.

"No." She frantically shook her head, backing away from him and Clara. "Go away!"

"Not without you." Clara told her adamantly.

"You said I wouldn't get it wrong and then I got it wrong!" Merry exclaimed. "And now this has happened. Look what's happened!"

"You didn't get it wrong."

"Agh!" Lexi groaned under the strain of her and the Doctor keeping the door open.

"How do you know?" Merry questioned, looking back and forth between Clara and Lucas. "You don't know anything! You have to go! Go now! Or he'll eat us all."

"Well, he's ugly. But, you know, to be honest..." Clara said as she stepped on the dais and looked at the mummy like creature in the glass case before turning to Merry again. "I don't think he looks big enough."

"Not our meat." Merry informed her. "Our souls."

"Souls?" Lucas asked, as he took a step forward, eyeing the creature inside.

Clara reached a hand out to Merry, said little girl putting her hands to her head and releasing a telekinetic force, pinning Clara back against the case and pushing Lucas forward and up against the case with his face smushed against the glass.

"Um... a little help here." Lucas said, his voice a bit muffled since his face was smushed up against the glass case.

"He doesn't want you, he wants me." Merry informed them. "If you don't leave, he'll eat you all up, too."

"Yes and you don't want that, do you, Merry?" Lexi asked her, knowing the answer. "You want us to walk out of this really quite astonishingly getting-heavier-by-the-second door and never come back."

"Yes."

"Well then, I believe Clara and Lucas are right. Lex?" The Doctor glanced at Lexi, said woman giving him a nod. "Good." He nodded before looking back toward Merry, Clara and Lucas. "That's absolutely never going to happen."

The Doctor and Lexi both then turned off their sonics and rolled on the floor into the temple, the Doctor and Lexi both reaching back to grab their sonics where they fell on the floor before the door closed.

"I think I just heard the door close." Lucas said, he voice still muffled, since his face was still smushed up against the glass. "Did you just lock us in?!"

"Yes, yes we did." Lexi replied, tossing her sonic up in the air, making it flip a few times before falling back into her hand.

"So we're all locked in here with a soul-eating monster?" Clara asked nervously, not being able to move since she was pinned back against the glass case.

"Yep." The Doctor nodded.

"And is there actually a way to get out?"

"What?" The Doctor questioned as he and Lexi walked towards them. "Before it eats our souls?"

"That would be nice." Lucas chimed in, trying to pull his face away from the glass, but failing.

"Well, let's see if we can accomplish that. Finding a way out." Lexi stated as she and the Doctor looked at the priest who was still singing, trying to keep Akhaten asleep. "You know, if there actually is a way out..."

"Doctor, Glorious, why is he still singing?" Clara asked as her gaze drifted the kneeling/singing priest.

" _...rest your weary, holy head..._ "

The Doctor kneeled in front of priest. "He's trying to sing the Old God back to sleep. It's not going to happen. He's waking up, mate. He coming, ready or not. You want to run."

" _...holy head and..._ " The priest stopped singing, breathing heavily.

"What's that?" Lexi questioned the priest, looking at him knowingly. "Song's over now?"

"The song is over." The priest replied, getting to his feet. "My name is Chorister Rezh Baphix, and the Long Song ended with me."

The priest then pushed up his sleeve to show a bracelet before pressing a button on it and dissipating into thin air.

"That's it, then!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Song's over!"

He and Lexi then turned around and used their sonics on Akhaten, making him roar and lean forward on the throne.

"Ha-ha!" Lexi grinned as she and the Doctor rushed up to cage and pressed against the glass. "Would you look at that."

"You've woken him!" Merry exclaimed as she stood in the middle of the room.

Akhaten quickly got up from his throne and pounded against the glass behind Clara and Lucas who still couldn't move.

"He's definitely awake now!" Lucas exclaimed with wide eyes, his voice still muffled against with his face being smushed against the glass cage. "What's he doing?"

"Oh, you know, having a nice stretch." The Doctor replied offhandedly as he and Lexi went around to both sides of the glass cage as they looked at the creature inside. "No, we didn't wake him." He said before pointing at Merry. "And you didn't wake him, either."

"I believe he's waking because it's his time to wake and feed." Lexi added, looking over at Merry. "Feed on you, apparently. On your stories."

"She didn't say stories, she said souls." Clara informed her, trying to move.

"Same thing." Lexi waved her off before walking back around the glass cage to where Merry stood. "The soul is made of stories, not atoms. I've known that for a long time now. Everything that has ever happened to us. People we love. People we have lost. People we've found again, against all the odds. Akhaten threatens to wake, and they offer him a pure soul. The soul of the Queen of Years."

As Lexi talked, the Doctor watched as Akhaten pressed his face up to the glass by where Lucas's face was smushed up against the glass. Lucas's eyes widened, trying to pull away as he had no choice but to watch as Akhaten raged against his imprisonment and his inability to reach them all.

"Glorious, please stop it." Clara stated as she gave a concerned look at Merry. "You're scaring her."

"Good." Lexi said, crossing her arms. "She should be scared. I mean, she is sacrificing herself. She should know what that means." She stayed before walking over to Merry and crouching down in front of her. "Do you know what it means, Merry?"

"A god chose me." She answered timidly.

"But it's not a god! Don't you see?" The Doctor suddenly chimed in, gesturing st the creature in the glass cage. "It'll feed on your soul, but that doesn't make it a god. That is a vampire and you don't need to give yourself to it."

"He's right, Merry." Lexi looked from the Doctor and back to Merry, taking said little girl's hands in hers and giving her a kind smile. "Do you mind if I tell you a story? It's one you might not have heard. A while back, a very wise man once told my children a very special bedtime story. He told them that all the elements in your body were forged many, many millions of years ago, in the heart of a far away star that exploded and died. And do you know what happened after that?" She gave her a small smile, giving her hands a squeeze of reassurance. "That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so, so many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new planets. And on and on it went." She told her as she got to her feet again. "The elements came together and burst apart, forming shoes and ships and sealing-wax and cabbages and kings." She then walked around to stand behind Merry and put her hands on her shoulders. "Until, eventually, they came together to make you. You are unique in the universe." She gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "There is only one Merry Gejelh. And there will never, ever be another." She then held onto Merry's shoulders to guide her a bit forward. "Getting rid of that existence is not a sacrifice. It is an absolute and undeniable waste."

Merry leaned her head back to look up Lexi before looking straight ahead of her again at the creature in the glass cage. "So, if I don't, then everyone else..."

"Will be completely fine."

As Merry looked at Akhaten, the creature pounded on the glass with both hands.

"How?"

"There's always a way." Lexi told her before looking over at the Doctor to see him looking at her rather fondly.

Merry then glanced back at Lexi, raising an eyebrow. "You promise?"

Lexi looked back to Merry and smiled down at her. "Cross my hearts."

She then held out her hand for Merry, said girl taking it and gripping it tight. She then turned and faced Clara and Lucas, releasing the field holding them in place as the Doctor stepped down from the slightly elevated glass case.

Akhaten then slammed the glass behind Lucas and Clara, making it crack. Lucas quickly turned away from the case before he and Clara quickly hurried down to Lexi, Merry and the Doctor.

"Having a nice stretch?!" Clara gawked at the Doctor, referring to his comment from earlier.

The five of them then all headed for the door but stopped when they sensed a change in the air as the ground began to shake.

"Something's coming, isn't it?" Lucas realized. "What is coming?"

Merry let out a shuddering breath. "...The Vigil."

The Doctor glanced down at her. "And what's the Vigil?"

"If the Queen of Years is unwilling to be feasted upon..."

"Yes?"

"...it's their job to feed her to Grandfather."

Just then, three eerie looking creatures that were dressed in black leather and wearing masks appeared.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Merry exclaimed as the Doctor and Lexi quickly took out their sonics while the Vigil began advancing on them.

"Don't you dare." Clara just about growled as she and Lucas stood protectively in front of Merry.

"Yeah, stay back." Lexi told them. "My husband and I are armed... with screwdrivers."

One of the Vigil bellowed, the force of it knocking both Lexi's and the Doctor's sonic screwdrivers from their hands and over to the floor by the wall. It then bellowed again, flipping the Doctor and Lexi over in the air, the Doctor landing on his back and Lexi landing on her stomach on top of him. Another bellow sent Lucas and Clara back against the wall.

Merry tried to hide as the Vigil continued to advance, Akhaten roaring in his prison.

Merry was then brought forward by the Vigil as Lucas, Clara, Lexi and the Doctor slowly came to.

Terrified, Merry walked up the steps to stand in front of the cage.

"Clara, Lucas... Sonics." The Doctor breathed as Lexi rolled off of him as Clara and Lucas both scrambled over to the sonics, picking them up and tossing them to the Doctor and Lexi.

The Couple of Time then turned and aimed their sonics at the Vigil, The Vigil holding up their hands to create a force field. While they were blocking the energy from the sonics, Merry ran over to Clara and Lucas.

"You know all the stories." Lucas told Merry as the Doctor and Lexi groaned while advancing on the Vigil. "Merry, you must know if there's another way out."

"There's the tale." She told them. "A secret song. 'The Thief of the Temple and the Nimmer's Door'."

"So the secret songs open the secret door?" Clara questioned her as she stood next to Lucas. "How does it go? Can you sing it?"

Merry nodded before taking a deep breath, letting the tune flow out of her mouth. " _Ah-ah-ah-ah-aah-ah-ah._ "

Suddenly, a door slid open as the Doctor and Lexi forced the Vigil to take a few steps back.

"Go!" Lexi shouted over Clara, Lucas and Merry as she and the Doctor continued to keep the Vigil away.

Clara quickly grabbed Merry's hand before they and Lucas all ran for the open door, the Doctor and Lexi pushing the Vigil back further as the two of them made their way closer to the door.


	21. The Rings of Akhaten: Part 4 - FINAL

_Outside, Temple, Night_...

Lucas, Clara and Merry hurried outside to the mopeds.

Lucas then heard Akhaten roar, making him run back to the door to look inside.

 _Inside, Temple_...

The field created by the Doctor and Lexi's sonics dissipated as they turned them off.

 _Outside, Temple_...

"Glorious! Doctor!" Lucas shouted into the temple just before the Doctor and Lexi came and joined him, Clara and Merry outside

The Couple of Time quickly used their sonics on the door.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the top of the pyramid to the sun.

" _Where are you? Where are you?_ "

Clara put her arms about Merry protectively as the Doctor and Lexi used their sonics on the Vigil who were walking out of the temple. The three creatures soon disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Clara questioned.

"Grandfather's seems to be awake now." The Doctor informed. "The Vigil are of no function anymore."

"Well, you could at least pretend to sound a bit more happy about it." Lucas told him as he crossed his arms, a slight frown on his face just before the sound of a distant explosion was heard.

"You see, the thing is... I think the Doctor and I may have made a bit of a tactical 'boo-boo'." Lexi said nervously, glancing around. "Well, it's more of a semantics mix-up, really."

Clara eyed her and the Doctor closely. "What do you mean 'boo-boo'?"

"We thought the Old God was Grandfather but he wasn't." The Doctor said quickly, glancing back at the Temple door before looking back at Clara, Lucas and Merry. "It may or may not have just been Grandfather's alarm clock."

"Sorry, I'm a bit lost." Lucas spoke up, holding a finger up. "Who is the Old God? And is there actually an Old God?"

"Unfortunately, uh, yeah." Lexi said quickly as they all looked up to the sun in the sky as it burned brighter, almost expanding.

"Oh, my stars." Clara breathed. "What the hell do we do now?"

"Against that?" The Doctor chuckled bitterly. "I don't know. Do you know? I don't know."

"So," Lexi clapped her hands together. "anyone got any ideas?"

"But you promised!" Merry exclaimed, looking up at Lexi. "You promised!"

"You did promise her, Lex." The Doctor whispered to her.

"I know I did, I was there." Lexi responded as she began to pace. "I did promise. Thanks for reminding me, dearie."

"He'll eat us all." Merry stated. "He'll spread across the system, consuming the Seven Worlds. And when there's no more to eat, he'll embark on a new odyssey among the stars."

The gases on the sun continued to whirl and burn, seeming to expand further.

"I say leg it." Lucas spoke up.

The Doctor quickly looked over at Lucas. "And where exactly would we go, Mr. Harper?"

"Don't know." He shrugged. "The Lake District is quite nice."

"Oh, the Lake District's lovely." Lexi chimed in, glancing over at him. "We should definitely go there." She then looked to the Doctor. "We can take them to eat scones. Remember they do great scones in 1927."

"I do agree." The Doctor said softly before looking back up at the sun.

Lexi looked at the expression on his face before just sighing and turning to look at the sun with him. "We're going to fight it, aren't we?"

"No, we're not." He told her. "I am."

"What?!" Lexi quickly glanced at him. "On your own? Are you insane?!"

"Do I even need to answer that?" The Doctor responded, glancing at her. "You know me. And you know what I'm capable of."

"Yeah, I do." She told him, crossing her arms with a slight scowl on her face. "But, you also know me and have seen what I am capable of. Let me help."

"Lex." The Doctor sighed, gesturing frustratedly at the giant sun. "This thing is massive! I want you to get everyone over to the amphitheater. At least that's somewhat a good distance away."

"I made a promise to Merry, and now you're wanting me to get away." Lexi stated, upset. "Well fine, then." She then turned away from him and began walking over to Lucas, Clara and Merry who all had been watching her argue slightly with the Doctor. "Come on, everyone. Looks like we're walking away. Just like the Doctor and I said we wouldn't. To the mopeds. Now."

Not having enough nerve to protest, Lucas, Clara and Merry all followed Lexi as the Doctor watched them go.

 _Inside, Temple_...

The Doctor entered the temple and looked across to the sun that now appeared to have a face.

"Any ideas?" The Doctor asked himself. "No, didn't think so. Righty-ho, then."

 _Inside, Amphitheater_...

Lexi and Clara landed the mopeds, Lucas unwrapping his arms from around Lexi and getting off the moped as Merry did the same with Clara.

The four of them all looked towards the temple and the sun as everyone in the amphitheater seemed to sense and know that there was something momentous happening.

Merry tugged on the sleeve of Lexi's emerald green coat, making her glance down at her. "Isn't the Doctor frightened?"

"He is, Merry." Lexi nodded in confirmation before looking back towards the sun. "He is very frightened."

"I want to help." She said.

"That makes two of us."

Merry bit her lip in thought before flashing back to what Lucas had told her earlier.

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Outside, Marketplace_...

"But what do you do about that?" Merry asked as she, Lucas and Clara all sat back against the TARDIS. "How can you make yourself not be scared?"

"The thing is, you can't. Not really, anyway." Lucas shrugged, glancing over and down at her. "There are going to be times that you can't help but be scared. However, when those times come, all you have to do is focus."

"On what?" Merry shook her head, confused as to what Lucas was trying to tell her.

"That, my friend," Lucas gave her a kind smile. "is something that only you can answer for yourself. It's different for everyone."

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

Merry opened her eyes, inhaling a deep breath.

"All you have to do is focus." She whispered to herself.

Merry then went and stepped onto the pedestal, glancing back at Lucas, Clara and Lexi before facing towards the temple again and beginning to sing.

" _Rest now, my warrior..._ "

 _Inside, Temple_...

The Doctor Couldn't help but smile when he heard the singing.

"Okay, then. That's what I'll do." He said to the sun. "I'll tell you a story."

 _Inside, Amphitheater_...

" _Oh, oh-oh, oh-oh Oh-oh, oh-oh..._ _Way-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay Wake up..._ " Merry continued to sing as the crowd joined in.

" _Wake up..._ "

" _And let the_ _cloak of life cling to your bones..._ " Merry sang, Clara and Lucas smiling at her as Lexi herself looked around and smiled slightly at everyone else.

 _Inside, Temple_...

The Doctor pointed towards the other planet with the amphitheatre.

"Can you hear them?" He asked the sun. "All these people who've lived in terror of you and your judgment? All these people whose ancestors devoted themselves. Sacrificed themselves. To you... Can you hear them singing?"

 _Inside, Amphitheater_...

" _Way-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay Wake up..._ "

 _inside, Temple..._

You could hear Merry and the others singing as the Doctor continued to talk with the Old God.

"You like to think you're a god. But you're not a god." The Doctor told the sun. "You're just a parasite eaten out with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them. On the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow. So... come on, then. Take mine. Take my memories. But I hope you've got a big appetite. Because I've lived a long life and I've seen a few things." He said as the sun/Old God shot tendrils of light at him, sucking away his life and memories.

 _Inside, Amphitheater_...

" _Wake up And let the_ _cloak of life cling to your bones..._ "

 _Inside, Temple_...

"I walked away from the Last Great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords." The Doctor stated with passion. "I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment, until nothing remained. No time. No space. Just me. I've walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman. I've watched universes freeze and creations burn. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. I've lost things you'll never understand. And I know things. Secrets that must never be told. Knowledge that must never be spoken. Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze." He spread his arms out. "So come on then! Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!"

The sun then grew darker, the Doctor hanging his head.

 _Inside, Amphitheater_...

" _Wake up Wake u-u-u-up._ " Merry finished singing and smiled as everyone looked towards the sky and watched, waiting.

Suddenly, there was a large explosion before the sun then expanded and grew brighter.

Biting her lip in thought, Lexi closed her eyes as she began to think of the Doctor over there, alone.

" _We don't walk away._ " Her and the Doctor's voices rang through her mind.

Lexi's eyes snapped opened before she spun around and rushed for one of the mopeds.

Lucas turned and watched as she went before calling out to her. "Where are you going?!"

"All of you, stay here." Is all Lexi replied with as she started up the moped she was now on.

 _Inside, Temple_...

Not being able to stand steady anymore, Doctor fell to his knees.

 _Outside, Space_...

Determined, Lexi raced the moped back to the temple.

 _Inside, Temple_...

Hurrying, Lexi ran into the temple as she reached into one of the pockets of her coat, her hand coming into contact with her small black leather pocketbook she had been going through after she and the Doctor had picked up Clara and Lucas.

The Doctor looked up at her as she walked forward.

With all the courage she could muster, Lexi nervously opened her pocketbook, pulling out what looked to be a small piece of paper.

After putting the pocketbook back into her coat pocket, Lexi held the piece of paper close to her chest as she faced the sun/Old God.

"Still hungry?" Lexi questioned the Old God as she unfolded the piece of paper. "Well, I brought something for you. You see this?" She showed the Old God the piece of paper, the piece a paper turning out to be a small handwritten letter of sorts. "I keep this with me wherever I go. You know why? Because it reminds me to keep going even when I want to give up."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK {The Pond Twins " ** _P.S. (Epilogue)_** "}

 _Inside, Pond-Williams home, Lounge_...

"You really do look like Mom." Anthony told Lexi, taking her hand in his as he sat down next to her on the sofa. "Not so much of a surprise, though. She always told me she was a twin. Never thought I'd actually get to meet you. But, Mom did say that if I ever saw you, to give you this."

Lexi looked down when she felt Anthony place something in her hand, seeing that it was a letter.

Lexi closed her eyes when she saw ' ** _Lexi_** ' scrawled across the envelope in Amy's familiar handwriting.

Lexi took a deep breath as she opened the letter with trembling hands.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Temple_...

"The last words I ever received from my sister." Lexi spoke as she held up Amy's last real and true farewell to her. "What's written in this letter holds the memories of the life she and her husband got to live. It holds the sadness of a family being torn away from each other. It holds the hopes my sister had for me, my husband and our children. This letter is full of the adventures we lived through together. It's full of the bond shared between two sisters. The love they had for each other. It tells the story of their life they lived where they became the women they were destined to be. However, this letter also tells another story. It tells the story of the life a family got to live. But not the life they should have. You see, Amy and Rory got to live out their lives together, but not in the way they originally should have. They were ripped away and put in a time that was not meant for them. But it was a time that needed them. The letter that I hold in my hands right now is something that is also full of the want for the un-lived days that were snatched away from them." Lexi took a deep breath and held the letter out in front of her. "So take it. Take their un-lived days. The un-lived days of Amy Pond and Rory Williams."

The Old God then sent tendrils to the letter and began absorbing it.

"Well, come on then. Eat up." The Doctor said as he stood up before walking to stand alongside Lexi. "Are you full? I expect so because there's quite a difference, isn't there? Between what was and what should have been. There's an awful lot of one, but there's an infinity of the other. And infinity's too much. Even for your appetite."

The letter then completely dissipated.

"Even though they're gone, they're still doing what they did best." Lexi stated before looking to the Doctor, finding that he was already gazing at her. "Helping us."

The Doctor smiled somewhat sadly at her, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to kiss her knuckles before the both of them then looked back to the sun and watched it implode, leaving them in darkness.

 _Inside, TARDIS_...

The Doctor and Lexi stood at the console, both of them not saying anything as they worked the controls, landing the TARDIS in the Maitland's driveway.

"You both okay?" Lucas questioned the couple, eyeing them suspiciously as Clara headed for the door that lead to the outside.

"Of course we are." Lexi stated as she turned turned to look at him. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"It looks different." Clara spoke up as she opened the door and peered outside.

"Mm." Lucas hummed in response to Lexi before glancing at where Clara was by the door.

"Nope. Same house. Same city. Same planet." The Doctor told Clara. "Same day, actually. Not bad." He then pretended to swing a golf club. "Hole in one!"

"Can I ask you something, Glorious?" Lucas questioned as he took a few steps in Clara's direction as she closed the door and turned back to walk a few steps inside.

"Shoot." Lexi told him before pressing a couple of buttons on the console.

"What did you do?" He asked. "You know, to make the Old God stop?"

"Oh, you know..." She trailed off, not looking at him as fiddled with some controls. "Recalled an old memory of sorts."

"You know, there's still something that I don't understand." Clara chimed in as she walked up beside Lucas as the two of gazed at the Couple of Time as they messed with the controls on the console. "You both were there at the graves. Doctor, you were at my Mum's."

Lucas's eyes widened slightly in remembrance. "And Glorious, you were at my Dad's."

Clara crossed her arms. "That can't be a coincidence."

"You both were watching." Lucas reminded them, noticing how neither the Doctor or Lexi were making a move to look in his and Clara's direction. "Why were you two there?"

"I don't know." The Doctor shrugged, fidgeting with some controls. "We were just... making sure."

"Making sure of what?" Clara tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Lexi quickly turned in Clara and Lucas's direction. "You both remind us of people."

"Who?" Lucas asked her incredulously.

"People that died." The Doctor chimed in, finally turning away from the console to look at his and Lexi's companions.

Clara uncrossed her arms. "Well, whoever they were, we're not them. Okay?"

"You know, if you want us to travel with you, that's completely fine." Lucas told the couple as he took a single step towards them, making direct eye contact with them. "But WE want to travel with you as us. Not as anyone else. We're not going to compete with ghosts."

"Never." Lexi shook her head, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out Lucas's watch as the Doctor reached into his coat and pulled out Clara's ring. "They wanted you to have these."

The two friends looked down at their possessions that laid in the Doctor's and Lexi's hands.

"Who did?" Clara questioned as she and Lucas looked back up at them.

"Everyone." The Doctor replied. "When I spoke with Dor'een, she said that the magnitude of what Lex offered was more than enough a price for both mopeds."

"Thank you. So much." Lucas said as he and Clara both took hold of their respective possessions, Clara slipping her ring back onto her finger as Lucas put his watch back around his wrist. Lucas then looked back up, looking at the Doctor curiously. "Why do call her Lex?"

"A story for a different day." Is all the Doctor replied with, smiling a bit as he grabbed Lexi's hand and intertwined their fingers.

Lexi couldn't help but let a small smile cross her features as she and the Doctor faced both their companions.

"It's you, Lucas, Clara." Lexi told the duo. "No one else."

The two friends just smiled at the couple before turning back around, Lucas holding the door open for Clara before then following her out himself as the Doctor and Lexi watched them from the doorway.

The Couple of Time shared a look before then just shutting the door and going and flying the TARDIS away.

* * *

 **A/N: There ya go! :)**

 **I really do hope you enjoyed this! It didn't turn out exactly how I thought it would, but I guess since I'm getting back into the swing of writing this story, that should be expected.**

 **Anyway, on another note: I really liked Jodie Whittaker in the regeneration scene of this year's DW Christmas special! I know she basically only spoke one word (" _Brilliant._ "), but the way she acted in the scene was really good. I can't wait to see how she plays the Doctor. And I definitely can't wait to eventually write her and Lexi together!**

 **But, you know, we have 12 and Lexi 2.0's era to get through first. I can't wait for them! They are getting closer...**

 **Anyway, classes don't begin again for me until January 16th. So, I have plenty of spare time for the next three weeks! Let's see how many episodes I can get through before then.**

 **So... I think that's all I've got left to say for right now. Now, I think I'll say goodbye until the next episode, which will be... " _Cold War_ "!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	22. Cold War: Part 1

**A/N: Hello!**

 **Well, I'm glad to see that y'all were happy with this story's comeback and enjoyed the last episode (" _The Rings of Akhaten_ "). But, now it's time to move forward.**

 **You know, I forgot how much I actually enjoyed the episode you're about to read. ️ I hope you like the way I've written it!**

 **First though, let me introduce to you our guest star for this episode...**

~o0o~

 **Guest Starring**

 _Richard Madden_ as Skyler "Sky" Pond

~o0o~

 **I've missed writing for Sky! I love him!**

 **Anyway, I guess that's all for now...**

 **So, without further ado, let us read... " _Cold War_ "!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

NORTH POLE 1983

 _Inside, Submarine, Control room_...

The crew of a Soviet submarine seemed to be moving in a type of controlled chaos. You know, in the sense that everyone knew their job and what they needed to do, but with a sense of urgency.

"Signal is genuine. Signal is genuine. Zero bravo..." A man spoke over the radio.

The captain of the submarine and his lieutenant, Stepashin, both inserted their keys into the slots on the control panel before the captain then went and delivered his orders over the radio.

"Prepare to launch nuclear weapons."

"Aye, sir." A crewman nodded.

"Moscow confirming launch sequence." The man from before informed over the radio.

The captain then readied his hand over the launch button. "The Firebird stands ready to serve."

"For the motherland." Stepashin told him.

"For the motherland." The captain nodded in agreement before resting his thumb above the launch button, about to push.

A voice suddenly came through singing along with "Vienna" by Ultravox as if learning the words just before an older man came through the hatch listening to a Walkman.

"This means nothing to me. Oh, Vienna." The man sang before noticing the captain and Stepashin looking at him. "Have I interrupted something?"

"We WERE about to blow up the world, Professor." The captain informed him.

"Again?" The professor asked before putting a hand on his Walkman. "Ultravox! I bloody love 'em. Got a friend who sends me the tapes."

The captain just shook his head before walking over to the radio microphone and speaking into it. "This is the captain. Drill abandoned. All hands, stand down. Repeat - drill abandoned."

"With respect, sir," Stepashin began. "we must run it again."

"Tomorrow." The captain told him.

"Comrade Captain, the NATO exercises..."

"Saber-rattling." The captain Cut him off.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, you don't think so?" The captain asked him incredulously.

"Sir, American aggression gets more intolerable by the day." Stepashin responded, no one taking notice of the figure that just raced past the open door that lead out into the corridor. "We must run the drill again!"

"Tomorrow." The captain repeated before Stepashin made his way towards the door, not wanting to say anything he might regret.

 _Inside, Submarine, Corridor_...

"You just had to malfunction, didn't you?" Sky whispered as he ran down the corridor, glaring down at his VM. "Thank God you're waterproof, though."

Sky then turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps before he turned back and ducked into a random room, not wanting to be found before he could fix his vortex manipulator.

 _Inside, Submarine, Control room_...

The captain stared out where Stepashin had walked out of the room before then turning to look at the professor again. "Did you have your specimen stowed okay?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Piotr's looking after it."

"Well, at least we have something to show for our little hunting expedition." The captain stated. "What is it? A mammoth?"

The professor nodded. "Probably."

 _Inside, Submarine, Corridor_...

Sky poked his head out of the room and into the corridor to check and see if the coast was clear before running out of the room to find a better place to hide.

The hold might be better.

 _Inside, Submarine, Hold_...

A large block of ice sat in the hold, a dark figure being visible within it.

Piotr, a young crewman, stood beside the large block of ice, a lighter in his hand.

"What are you, Milaya Moya?" Piotr questioned as he gazed at the figure within the block of ice. "Professor wants you thawed out back in Moscow, but... life's too short to wait."

Just as Piotr lit a blowtorch, Sky entered the hold. His eyes widened when he saw the young crewman holding the blowtorch and using it on the ice. Sky quickly hid behind a big piece of machinery as he watched the ice start to melt, a rumbling and cracking soon being heard.

Something seemed to move inside the block of ice just before a hand broke through.

"Oh, my God..." Sky's eyes widened even more as he watched the creature's hand grab Piotr by the throat, growling ferociously.

Time to get the hell out of there.

 _Soon after, Inside, Submarine_...

The creature was now free and was killing the crew as they got in his way.

It then fired a weapon and, in the enclosed space, breached the integrity of the hull, causing water to enter.

"Ah! Get away!" A random crew member shouted. "Alarm! Alarm!"

 _Inside, Submarine, Control room_...

Water had found its way to the bridge as the crew fought to maintain control of the submarine while the alarm blared.

"Hold the bridge, port side!" Stepashin shouted.

"Evasive maneuvers!" The captain ordered.

"Descending to 200 meters." Onegin, the man who was monitoring their descent, informed.

"We're under attack!" A crewman's voice came over the radio.

"210!" Onegin shouted.

Just then, the hull creaked against the pressure as they fell deeper through the water.

"Bring her up, bring her up!" The captain shouted.

"It's no good, sir!" Onegin told him, glancing back at him.

Suddenly, an oh-so familiar wheezing noise filled the air, the TARDIS choosing that exact moment to materialize right in the middle of the control room.

The Doctor opened the door and poked his head out, letting you see that he was actually wearing sunglasses.

"Viva Las Vegas!" He exclaimed just as the submarine tilted which caused him to fall towards one of the control panels.

Lexi tumbled out after him, wearing sunglasses of her own as a screaming Lucas and a screaming Clara tumbled out after her, Lucas wearing blue jeans and a light blue button-up, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a dark grey waistcoat over it; and Clara wearing a cute short, silver dress.

"Intruders on the bridge!" Stepashin shouted.

"Who the hell are you?" The captain asked them.

"Not Vagas then!" Clara said as the Doctor and Lexi put their sunglasses in their pockets.

"Oh, you don't say!" Lucas shouted back at her, all of them getting soaked because of the water coming in.

"Definitely not Vegas!" Lexi told them as she rung out the water from her hair. "It's much better, though!"

"A sinking submarine?" Clara questioned.

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed. "Not just that, but a Soviet submarine!"

"Break out side arms!" Stepashin commanded. "Restrain them!"

"410. 420!" Onegin continued to inform them of their descent. "Turbines still not responding!"

"They've got to!" The captain shouted back.

"Ah!" The Doctor exclaimed as he scanned with his sonic. "Sideways momentum! You've still got sideways momentum!"

"What?" The captain gawked at him.

"You're propellers work independently of the main turbines." The Doctor informed him. "You can't stop her going down but you can maneuver the sub laterally! Do it!"

"Get these people off the bridge now!" Stepashin demanded, two crewmen then going and grabbing the Doctor's arms.

"Just listen to him, for God's sake!" Lexi shouted as she unsteadily stepped away from Lucas and Clara, the sinking submarine providing very unsteady walking conditions.

"Geographical anomaly to starboard - probably an underwater ridge." The Doctor stated, trying hard to get the crew to listen.

"How do you know this?" The captain questioned him.

"Look, we have just a chance to stop the descent if we settle on it. Do it!"

"600 meters, sir." Onegin stated as he watched the depth continue to increase. "610..."

"This thing will implode if it gets too deep, now do it!" The Doctor shouted, all of them trying to be heard over the alarms.

The captain stared at the the Doctor for a moment before turning to give the order to Onegin. "Lateral thrust to starboard - all propellers!"

"Sir?" Onegin questioned.

"Now!"

"You're going to let this madman give the orders?" Stepashin asked the captain, not truly believing what he was hearing.

"Lateral thrust!" The captain roared, leaving no room for any more argument.

"Aye, sir." Onegin nodded before quickly going about doing what he needed to do as the Doctor had his sonic out again, Lexi taking hers out as she came up to stand beside him.

It didn't take too long before everyone felt the sub hit the side of something, sliding down a little before coming to a halt.

Everyone could then breath a little easier now that the submarine had come to a stop, the Doctor and Lexi putting away their sonics before then putting their sunglasses back on.

Onegin then looked back to see what their depth was now. "Descent arrested at... 700 meters."

"It seems we owe you our lives, whoever you are." The captain said, turning to face the Doctor and Lexi.

"I'll hold you to that." The Doctor told him. "Might come in handy."

"Search them." Stepashin ordered, huffing when all he got was incredulous looks. "Yes, I know, there are women. Now search them!"

Lexi sighed, rolling her eyes as she held up her hands while the crewmen pushed her, the Doctor, Clara and Lucas back against a pole in the middle of the bridge.

"What is this?" A crewman asked as he pulled Lexi's sonic out of her emerald green waterfall Duster coat.

"A very helpful tool." She scowled at him. "Now be careful with it."

"Are we going to be okay?" Clara asked the Doctor quietly.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor nodded as Lucas was being checked.

"In other words, that'll probably end up being a lie." Lexi chimed in as the crewman continued to search her. "Oi, watch the hands!"

"Thanks, dear." The Doctor glanced over at Lexi where she was by Lucas before looking back to Clara. "Very dangerous time. East and West standing on the brink of nuclear oblivion. Lot's of itchy fingers on the button."

"Sir, I found this man making his way up here to the bridge." A crewman informed, making everyone look in his direction to see him escorting in a familiar man. "I believe we have ourselves a stowaway of sorts."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Sky?"

Eyes wide and her mouth agape, Lexi saw her son standing there with a somewhat worried look on his face. "Skyler Rory Pond, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Yeah, well, it was an accident." He said quickly as the crewmen pushed him up against the pole, right in between Lexi and the Doctor. "My vortex manipulator malfunctioned. But listen, that's not important right now. We need–"

"What is this?" The crewmen asked, holding up Sky's hand and pointing at the VM around his wrist.

"Currently it's a semi-broken piece of time travel, but that's not important." He replied offhandedly before looking back and forth at his parents from where he stood in between them, getting searched. "Mum, Dad, we need to get everyone out of this sub."

Just then, a crewman pulled out a Barbie doll, a ball of twine, and the Doctor's sonic out of said man's pockets.

"I'll take a receipt, please." The Doctor frowned, making a grab for the sonic as the crewman searching Sky pulled out his sonic (the light being orange). Sky also tried to make a grab for his own sonic but it and the Doctor's were pulled away by the crewmen searching them. The captain then came and took hold of them as the Doctor just sighed before glancing at Sky again. "What do you mean get everyone out of this sub? What's going on, Sky?"

"What are these?" The captain enquired as he held up the Doctor's and Sky's sonics, making the them look in his direction again.

However, before anyone could say anything else, the sub creaked and tilted and made Sky fall away from in between the Doctor and Lexi.

"Sky!" Lexi shouted, trying to reach out for her son.

"Mum!" Sky shouted back at her.

Suddenly, the TARDIS started dematerializing.

"What's happening?!" Lucas asked quickly looking around past Clara, catching sight of the TARDIS as it began to disappear.

"No, no, no, no!" The Doctor shouted in desperation as the TARDIS dematerialized. "No, not now!"

"What's it doing?!" Clara asked as she watched the TARDIS completely disappear.

Sky tried to catch his footing before falling under the water and hitting his head, the last thing he saw before losing consciousness being his and his parents' glowing sonic screwdrivers abandoned on the floor.


	23. Cold War: Part 2

_Later_...

"Captain, we didn't attack your ship out here. Now, we need to get the pumps working to get her afloat."

"Yeah, well, that's till the rescue ship comes."

"If it comes."

"Oh, the sinking is just a coincidence, is it? Who are you?"

Sky slowly came to, at first only hearing the muffled voices of the Doctor and the captain, who everyone had since learned was named Zhukov, as they argued.

"Sky?"

Sky blinked as he slowly became more awake, listening to the Doctor and Zhukov continue to argue as he did. Lexi was crouched beside him, shaking his shoulder slightly.

"Hi, Mum." He mumbled as he slowly sat up.

"You took quite the fall." She told him, giving him a small smile as she reached up and gently touched a spot by his left eyebrow, sighing as it was scratched up with some dried blood on it.

"Ow." He hissed slightly, grabbing his mother's wrist.

"Sorry." She cringed, not liking seeing her son hurt. "How do you feel?"

"Aside from the splitting headache, I'm fine." He told her, letting go of her wrist.

"Let's hope it's not a concussion." Lucas's voice spoke up. "Looked like you hit your head pretty hard, mate."

"Yeah, that would be bad." Sky rolled his eyes slightly, turning his head to the right to see that Lucas and Clara were standing a few feet away on the other side of him, Clara now wearing someone's uniform jacket.

"Alright, Captain, alright." The Doctor crossed his arms, addressing Zhukov. "You know what? Just this once, no dissembling, no psychic paper, no pretending to be Earth ambassadors. Doctor, Glorious, Sky, Clara, Lucas, time travelers."

"You sure you're okay, Sky, was it?" Clara asked Sky as she and Lucas watched Lexi help him stand.

"I think so." He answered.

"Time travelers?" Zhukov raised an eyebrow.

"We arrived out of thin air." The Doctor pointed out. "You saw it happen."

"I didn't." The professor, who they had learned was named Grisenko, raised his hand.

"You're problem, mate, not ours." Lucas stated, pushing off the wall he and Clara were leaning on.

"Wait, wait." Sky said, putting a hand to his head, wobbling a bit as Lexi tried to help him stand steady. "There was... there was... there was something... Oh! We were sinking!"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded, looking over at him and Lexi.

"What happened?"

"We sank."

"And the TARDIS abandoned us." Clara chimed in, coming up on the other side of Sky before holding onto his arm as she helped Lexi steady him.

"She didn't abandon us. But you know what? Never mind." The Doctor waved a hand before turning to look at Zhukov again. "Listen, Captain, breath is precious down here. Let's not waste it, eh?"

"You're right." Zhukov agreed, narrowing his eyes as he walked forward. "Maybe I can save a little oxygen by having you all shot!"

"Yeah, can you not?" Lucas spoke up as he walked up to stand on the other side of Lexi.

"What does it matter how we arrived?" Sky sighed, Lexi and Clara letting go of his arms, seeing how he didn't seem to be having any trouble standing anymore. "I tried to tell you earlier that what's going on, it's not what you think it is. We need to get everyone..." He paused, hearing heavy breathing. "...out."

"Exactly!" The Doctor pointed at him, completely missing him, Lexi, Lucas and Clara all staring at something behind him. "Number one priority: not suffocating." He blinked when Zhukov's eyes widened, too, before he backed away from him. "Eh? Ah. Oh, thank you. Finally seeing sense.

Now, what sort of state is the sub in?"

"Doctor..." Lexi began.

"What about radio? Can we send a–"

"Doctor!" Clara shouted.

"What?!" He finally acknowledged them. He then listened, being able to hear a sort of hissing noise coming from behind him. "What is that? Gas? Could be gas." He rambled before finally seeing how everyone was staring at something behind him, making him slowly turn around to see that it was a tall and armored figure. "Ah." He nervously smiled and backed away from it, the creature itself taking a few steps forward. "It never rains, but it pours."

"We were drilling for oil in the ice." Professor Grisenko informed them, finding the nerve to speak as they all gazed at the creature. "I thought I'd found a mammoth."

Lexi let out an amused huff. "That is definitely not a mammoth."

"No." The professor agreed.

"What is it then?" Lucas asked.

"It's an ice warrior." The Doctor answered as Lexi walked up beside him, no one taking their eyes off the creature. "A native of the planet Mars. And we go way back. Way back."

"A Martian?" Zhukov scoffed. "You can't be serious."

"He's always serious." Sky shook his head, walking up on the other side of his father. "You know, with days off."

"Oi." The Doctor glanced at his son before looking to Lexi when he heard her stifle a laugh.

"Hello." Clara spoke up, getting their attention from where she stood next to Lucas. "Bigger picture."

"Just keeping it light." The Doctor waved her off. "They're scared."

"I think that goes for all of us." Lucas chimed in, crossing his arms.

One of the officers then came up behind Lucas and Clara and aimed his gun at the Ice Warrior, the Ice Warrior turning and lifting its arm that contained his weapon.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Please, please, wait!" The Doctor put his hands up, gesturing for the two to put their weapons down. "Just... there's no need for this! Just hear me out!" He told the Ice Warrior, silently signaling Lexi and Sky to get back over by Clara and Lucas. "You're confused, disorientated - of course you are. You've been lying dormant in the ice for, for how long?" He questioned, snapping his fingers and pointing at Professor Grisenko. "How long, Professor?"

"By my reckoning: 5,000 years." He answered.

"5,000 years?" The Doctor asked, looking back to the Ice Warrior. "That's a hell of a nap. Can't blame you if you've got out of the wrong side of the bed. Nobody here wants to hurt you." He quickly pushed down the officer's gun so it was no longer pointing at the Ice Warrior. "Please, just, why don't you tell us your name?"

"What're you talking about?" Zhukov frowned. "It has a name?"

"Of course it has a name - and a rank." The Doctor informed. "This is a soldier. And it deserves our respect."

"This is madness. That is a monster!" Zhukov insisted just before the Ice Warrior finally spoke up.

"Skaldak."

The Doctor pointed at Skaldak as he turned to look at the Zhukov before quickly turning back to Skaldak.

Lexi eyed the Doctor as she wracked her brain for the reason why Doctor seemed to be upset at what they'd just heard.

Then it hit her.

Over the years she and the Doctor had been together, he would tell her tales and stories of just about anything and everything he could think of. Skaldak had been one particular individual he had told her about. They then had passed down that, along with all the other tales and stories to their twins. And to confirm what she was thinking, Lexi glanced at Sky and saw him staring at the Doctor as said man took a couple of steps forward.

"What did you say?" The Doctor asked Skaldak.

"I am Grand Marshal Skaldak." The Ice Warrior introduced himself.

The Doctor briefly closed his eyes. "Oh, no..."

Skaldak growled just before shuddering as electricity suddenly coursed through him, making him turn around to face his attacker. The attacker being Lieutenant Stepashin.

"You idiot!" The Doctor exclaimed as Skaldak fell to the floor, unconscious. "You... idiot! Grand Marshal Skaldak."

"You... know him?" Clara enquired nervously.

"Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste, vanquisher of the Phobos heresy." The Doctor replied, looking in her and everyone else's direction. "The greatest hero the proud Martian race has ever produced."

"So what do we do now?" Zhukov asked him.

The Doctor took a deep breath, looking Zhukov in the eye.

"Lock... him... up."

 _Inside, Submarine, Communications_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Lucas and Clara were all now standing before Captain Zhukov as Lieutenant Stepashin and Professor Grisenko watched from the sidelines.

"The Ice Warriors have a different creed, Lucas, Clara. A different code." Lexi explained. "By his own standards, Skaldak is a hero. It was said his enemies honored him so much they'd carve his name into their own flesh before they died."

"And this is the kind of stories your parents told you and your sister while you were growing up?" Lucas asked as he leaned over to whisper to Sky, said man standing in between him and Clara.

"Obviously they waited till we were a bit older to tell us something like that, but yeah." Sky nodded, his arms crossed as he watched his parents.

"An Ice Warrior?" Zhukov enquired, not paying any mind to Lucas, Sky and Clara. "Explain."

"There isn't time!" The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Try me."

"Martian reptile known as the Ice Warrior. When Mars turned cold they had to adapt." The Doctor responded. "They're bio-mechanoid - cyborgs. Built survival armor so they could exist in the freezing cold of their home world, but an increase in temperature and the armor goes haywire."

"Wait." Clara took a step forward. "Like with that cattle prod thing?"

"Like that cattle prod thing, Clara." Lexi nodded, glancing at Clara before looking back to Zhukov. "It's a bit of a design flaw, to be honest. I never really understood why they never sorted it.

"Wait, didn't I say we didn't have time to explain this?" The Doctor asked rhetorically. "Not really that surprising, though. You know, that we've gotten sidetracked. That always seems to happen."

"Is this thing really that dangerous?" Clara asked.

"This particular one, yes." The Doctor nodded.

Suddenly, a beeping could be heard through Professor Grisenko's Walkman headphones. He slipped them on his head, the Doctor and Lexi taking notice.

"Why are we listening to this nonsense, Captain?" Stepashin questioned. "These people are clearly enemy agents."

"Eh?" Lucas squinted at him, tilting his head slightly.

"Spies, Captain!" Stepashin insisted.

"Pretty bad spies, mate." Lucas smirked.

"Yeah." Clara agreed, crossing her arms. "I don't even speak Russian."

Sky's eyes widened as he tried to shush Clara but failed as Stepashin looked over at her.

"What?"

"I don't..." Clara trailed off. "Am I speaking Russian?" She questioned, leaning over to speak quietly with Sky. "How come I'm speaking Russian?"

"Clara." Sky said, trying to get her to stop talking as he looked over at his parents nervously. "I don't really think we have time for this."

"Are they speaking Russian?" She asked, ignoring him as she looked around at Zhukov, Stepashin and Grisenko.

"Clara, please." Sky told her. "It's the TARDIS translation matrix."

Stepashin Just turned back to speak with Zhukov. "In my opinion, Comrade Captain, this creature is a Western weapon."

"Are they?" Clara asked Sky.

"Of course they are!" He exclaimed. "They're Russians!"

Zhukov glanced up at Stepashin. "A weapon?"

"Survival suit." Stepashin told him. "What is the alternative? The little green man from Mars?"

"Correction. It's a big green man from Mars." Professor Grisenko chimed in, making Zhukov chuckle slightly.

"I do not appreciate your levity, Professor." Stepashin rolled his eyes.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Grisenko retorted. "Maybe they're telling the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes." Grisenko give him a thin smile. "A revolutionary concept, I know."

Lexi smiled and snapped her fingers at him. "I like you, Professor."

Stepashin huffed. "It's essential that we inform Moscow of what we have found!"

"The radio's out of action, in case you hadn't noticed, Stepashin." Zhukov reminded him.

"They have our last position." He stated. "They will find us. When they do..."

"Yes?" Zhukov raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the cold war won't stay cold forever, Captain."

"For God's sake, Stepashin, you're like a stuck record!" Zhukov scowled at him. "We have other priorities right now. I want you back on repairs immediately, we need to keep this ship alive. Dismissed."

Stepashin glared as he stood in front of the Doctor and Lexi, staring them down.

"We can stand here all day, Lieutenant." Lexi gave him a meaningless smirk. "You're intimidating stare won't work."

"Sir...?" Stepashin glanced back at Zhukov.

Zhukov frowned and got to his feet. "Dismissed, Stepashin!"

Stepashin looked back to the Doctor and Lexi before just leaving the room, brushing past Clara, Sky and Lucas as he went.

The Doctor then stepped ahead of Lexi before coming to stand face-to-face with Zhukov, brushing imaginary lint from his uniform.

"All we needed to do was let Skaldak go and he'd have forgotten us. But you've attacked him. You declared war." The Doctor told him. "'Harm one of us and you harm us all.' That's the ancient Martian code."

The beeping them became a bit louder as it was heard over the professor's headphones.

"You hear that?" The Doctor enquired. "Skaldak's sent out a distress call. He'll bring down the fires of hell just for laying a glove on him!"

"Unless you talk to it?" Zhukov questioned, trying to clarify.

"I'm the only one who can."

"No. Out of the question. We're not losing you." Zhukov shook his head. "I'll do it."

The Doctor frowned. "What?"

"You can talk to it through me."

"Skaldak won't talk to you." The Doctor informed. "You're an enemy soldier."

Zhukov raised an eyebrow. "How would he know that?"

"A soldier knows another soldier." The Doctor pointed out. "He'll smell it on you. Smell it on you a mile off."

"And he wouldn't smell it on you, Doctor?" Zhukov asked him incredulously.

"Just let me in there before it's too late." He reasoned. "It can't be you or any of your men."

"Well, it can't be you."

"You know, Captain, that's the first time I've agreed with you today." Lexi finally spoke up, making everyone look at her as she took a step forward. "Sorry, dear." She smiled apologetically at the Doctor before looking to address everyone else. "Not only that, I'm sure as hell not going to let Sky go in there. And given how our traveling companions haven't dealt with this sort of thing before, they shouldn't go in there either... I am not a soldier. Nor will I ever be. So, there really is only one choice, isn't there?"

"Oh no! No, no, no, no... No." The Doctor immediately objected, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "No way. You are not going in there alone, Lex. Absolutely not! Never!" He said, watching as Lexi just continued to stare at him, a smirk spreading across her face. "Right?" He asked wearily before sighing. "Dammit."

 _Inside, Submarine, Torpedo room_...

Lexi carefully opened the hatch to the torpedo room, a headset with a microphone around her neck. She cautiously peered in and saw Skaldak standing still.

Lexi then carefully stepped inside, closing the door before putting on the headset. She cautiously inched into the room and picked up one of the lamps before turning it on, looking up and smiling.

 _Inside, Submarine, Communications_...

Captain Zhukov sat in front of the microphone and screen, the Doctor and Sky walking up behind him as Clara and Lucas stood back and watched them.

The Doctor glanced down at Zhukov. "With your permission?"

"Be my guest." Zhukov stood up from the chair, the Doctor then sitting down and tapping the microphone.

"Ready, Lex?" The Doctor questioned, speaking into the microphone.

 _Inside, Submarine, Torpedo room_...

"Yeah." Lexi replied as she took a step forward.

"Okay, now be careful." The Doctor voice came in through the headset. "Remember what I told you."

"I know what you told me. You told me what to do in that whole pep talk you gave me before I came in here." Lexi hissed, rolling her eyes. "Now, hush." She then set the lamp down before saluting Skaldak by putting her right fist to her chest, Skaldak hissing in acknowledgment before Lexi picked the lamp back up. "Grand Marshal Skaldak, Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste. By the moons, I honor thee." She then walked slowly towards Skaldak, getting a bit closer. "Grand Marshal, we're sorry about this. It is not what you deserve." Just then, the power suddenly went out through the sub. "Oh, great."

 _Inside, Submarine, Communications_...

"Hey, it's ok, Lex." The Doctor tried to reassure her as he spoke into the microphone, Sky peering over his shoulder to watch his mother on the screen. "Keep going. You're doing great, love."

 _Inside, Submarine, Torpedo room_...

Lexi took a deep breath, putting down the now dead lamp before turning on a flashlight.

"You're a long way from home. And 5,000 years adrift in time." She spoke to Skaldak, taking another cautious step forward. "Please, let us help you. You are not our enemy."

Skaldak growled. "And yet, I am in chains."

"It's just a precaution." Lexi told him gently. "You're only restrained until we can trust each other, Skaldak. And it is not difficult to tell that you would do exactly the same in our position." She stated, gaze drifting to the sonic weapon Skaldak had on his armor. "I would also caution you about using that sonic weapon. At least not in the torpedo room."

"I was fleet commander of the Nix Tharsis." Skaldak stated, somewhat ignoring what Lexi had said. "My daughter stood by me... It was her first taste of action. We sang the songs of the old times. The songs of the red snow." He said, his tone a bit sad. "5,000 years, now my daughter will be... dust! Only dust." He stated angrily. "Tell me, Glorious, are you a parent?"

"Yes." Lexi replied, her voice soft.

"Then tell me," Skaldak began. "how would you feel being taken from your children?"

"It wouldn't feel good." Lexi responded, her voice a tiny bit unsteady as she took a couple of nervous steps forward. "But listen, Skaldak, I've heard the stories of your people. They live on! They're scattered all across the universe. Mars is going to rise again, I promise you. Just... let us help you."

 _Inside, Submarine, Communications_...

"I require no help." Skaldak's voice came over the radio, the Doctor and Sky watching the screen nervously as Clara and Lucas crowded around them so they could watch themselves. "There will be no help!"

"Careful, Lex." The Doctor warned as he watched the screen, seeing Lexi move closer.

"I'm okay." Lexi's voice came over the radio.

 _Inside, Submarine, Torpedo room_...

"No, listen, Lex, don't get too close." The Doctor's voice came in through the headset Lexi was wearing.

"I'm okay, Doctor!" Lexi insisted, rolling her eyes as she walked even closer to Skaldak. She eyed the Ice Warrior suspiciously. "Something's not right..."

"What?" The Doctor's voice asked, confused as to what she was talking about.

"Something's..." Lexi trailed off, reaching out and touching Skaldak's helmet and making it fall backwards to reveal empty armor. "He's not there!" She stepped back with a gasp. "He's gone!"

The front of the armor then suddenly opened by itself to show advanced tech inside.

 _Inside, Submarine, Communications_...

"Gone? Gone?" The Doctor asked quickly as they watched the screen. "Gone? What do you mean, gone?!"

"He's gone! He's not there! As in he's gotten out!" Lexi's voice shouted back.

 _Inside, Submarine, Torpedo room_...

"It is time I learned the measure of my enemies." Skaldak's voice said over the radio system of the submarine, Lexi glancing around nervously in the dim light of the room. "And what this vessel is capable of."

 _Inside, Submarine, Communications_...

The Doctor quickly stood up from the chair. "No, no, no, Skaldak!"

"Harm one of us and you harm us all!" Skaldak's voice taunted over the radio. "By the moons, this I swear!"

"Lex!" The Doctor grabbed the microphone, basically shouting into it. "Get out of there! Get out!" He then got up from the chair and rushed for the door, stopping as Captain Zhukov pulled his gun on him. "I've never seen one do this before." He told Zhukov honestly. "Actually, I've never seen one out of its armour before."

Zhukov eyed him for a moment longer before lowering his gun, letting the Doctor pass and run for the door.

"Won't it be more vulnerable out of its shell?" Professor Grisenko asked, making the Doctor pause in the doorway.

"No, it will be more dangerous." He answered before running off, Sky, Lucas and Clara running after him.

 _Inside, Submarine, Torpedo room_...

Lexi spun around with the flashlight, trying to pinpoint where Skaldak was. She then heard a hissing sound, knowing that it was definitely Skaldak.

Lexi soon spotted the hatchway she had come through and ran over to try and open it.

"Come on!" Lexi grunted as she tried to push it open. "Of all the times for me not to have my sonic!"

It then finally opened, Lexi falling as something (Skaldak) streaked past her and out into the corridor.

 _Inside, Submarine corridors_...

Skaldak rushed past the Doctor, Sky, Lucas, Clara, Zhukov and Grisenko.

The Doctor hurries to the hatchway.

"Lex! Lex! Lex! Lex!" The Doctor shouted as he hurried to the hatchway, pulling Lexi out before hugging her close.

"I'm okay." Lexi breathed out, hugging her husband tight. "Really, I'm okay." She assured him before pulling away slightly, her hands on his shoulders. "Where did he go?" She enquired, looking past everyone and down the corridor before looking back at the Doctor while Professor Grisenko listened to the beeping as it continued over his Walkman headphones. "I was pretty good in there."

"You were amazing." The Doctor gave her a small smile and hugged her close again, pressing a kiss to her forehead before pulling away and turning to face everyone else.

"Doctor," Grisenko spoke up. "the signal, it's stopped."

The Doctor hurried to the professor and listened to the headphones himself as Sky went and hugged Lexi, said woman putting her arms around her son's middle as they, Clara and Lucas watched the Doctor.

"Skaldak got no answer from his Martian brothers." The Doctor stated, not hearing the beeping anymore. "Now he's given up hope."

Zhukov frowned. "Hope of what?"

"Being rescued. He thinks he's been abandoned." The Doctor clarified. "He's got nothing left to lose."

"But what can he do stuck down here like the rest of us?" Zhukov asked him. "How bad can it be?"

"In case you didn't know: this sub is stuffed with nuclear missiles, Zhukov. It's fat with them!" The Doctor exclaimed, waving his hands about dramatically. "What do you think Skaldak's gonna do when he finds that out? 'How bad can it be? How bad can it be?' It couldn't be any worse."

Just then, the sub seemed to move a bit, jostling everyone about and making them hold onto the walls as one of the hatches between the hulls opened before water began to pour in.

Lucas slowly turned his head to look at the Doctor.

"Spoke too soon, mate. Spoke too soon."


	24. Cold War: Part 3

_Inside, Submarine, Control room_...

"Comrades, you know our situation." Captain Zhukov stated as he gave the crew an update on the situation. "The reactor is drowned, we are totally reliant on battery power and our air is running out. Rescue is unlikely, but we still have a mission to fulfill. If the Doctor is right, then we are all that stands between this creature and the destruction of the world." He said without a hint of humor in his tone. "Control of one missile is all he needs. We are expendable, comrades, our world is not. I know I can rely on every one of you to do his duty without fail. That is all."

"Even if a missile did get launched, that wouldn't be... it, would it?" Clara asked as she, Lucas, Sky, the Doctor and Lexi all stood by one of the banks of controls, watching Zhukov.

"It?" The Doctor blinked, glancing at her.

"End of the world. Game over." She clarified. "I mean, what if they fired one by accident? What would happen then?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, Earth always seems to be like a storm that's waiting to break." Lucas chimed in, making them look in his direction. "And in this particular time period, there are two very prominent sides: the United States and Russia. Both sides baring their teeth, talking up war." He stated, not looking at them. "They're like a time bomb. It would only take one tiny spark." He then glanced at them when he didn't hear them respond. "What? I just talked with my classes about the Cold War just three weeks ago. History is what I do."

"Impressive, Lucas." Lexi smiled, crossing her arms.

"But the world didn't end in 1983, did it?" Clara asked. "Or Lucas and I wouldn't be here."

"No, but history's in flux. It can be changed. Re-written." The Doctor shook his head before walking away from them, going over to Captain Zhukov. "How many of us are left?"

"Twelve." He answered. "And we can't find Stepashin."

"I suggest we split up and comb the sub." Sky chimed in, stepping up beside his father. "One team should stay here to guard the bridge."

"That's it?" Zhukov questioned. "That's the plan?"

"Yep." Lexi clapped her hands together, stepping up on the other side of the Doctor. "Or if you prefer, we can stay here and wait for him to kill us."

"Fine." Zhukov conceded.

"Is it true you've never seen one outside of its armor?" Lucas asked.

"For an Ice Warrior to leave its armour is the gravest dishonour." The Doctor nodded. "Skaldak is desperate, he is deadly and we have got to find him."

"Will these help?" Grisenko asked, holding up three familiar items.

"Ah! You saved them!" The Doctor grinned, taking his sonic screwdriver as Lexi and Sky took back theirs, looking them over.

"No, no, they were on the floor with this." Grisenko held up the Barbie doll.

Lexi bit her lip in thought for a moment before experimentally activating her sonic and using its laser setting to disintegrate the doll. "Still works." She grinned, tossing her sonic up in the air and catching it in her hand. "Professor, I could kiss you."

Grisenko considered her. "If you insist."

"No." She responded before heading out the door.

Zhukov just smirked before he and a few of his men went with Lexi, the Doctor and Sky both snickering as they went in a different direction, Clara, Lucas and Grisenko following after them.

 _Inside, Submarine, Corridor_...

"So, why have you got a cattle prod on a submarine?" Clara enquired as she, Grisenko, Lucas, Sky and the Doctor moved through a corridor; the Doctor and Sky scanning with their sonics.

"Polar bears." Grisenko answered.

"Ah, right."

"We run across them when we're drilling. Can be quite nasty, you know?"

"To be honest, I'd swap a polar bear for an Ice Warrior right about now." Lucas chimed in, looking around nervously.

"Courage, my good man." Grisenko advised as the Doctor flicked a switch which made an alarm go off, Sky rolling his eyes before nudging his father out of the way so he could try and shut it off. "I always sing a song."

"What?" Clara blinked, glancing at the professor.

"To keep my spirits up."

"I don't believe this is Pinocchio, Professor." Lucas chuckled as the Doctor and Sky were still trying to stop the alarm.

"D'you know Hungry Like The Wolf?" He asked.

Clara stopped and looked at Grisenko. "What?"

"Duran Duran - one of my favourites. Come on!"

"I'm not singing a song!" Clara shook her head, giggling a bit.

Sky opened a hatch in the wall and stuck his head in, using his sonic as the Doctor poked his head in right beside him. Both men quickly backed out when they heard an eerie groaning.

"What was that?" Lucas asked cautiously.

"Pressure. Just pressure." The Doctor answered. "We're 700 meters down, remember?"

"Don't worry about it. Think of something else." Grisenko chimed in before beginning to sing. "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da I am hungry like the wolf."

"I'm not singing." Clara told him again.

"Don't you know it?"

"'Course I know it. We do it at karaoke. The odd hen night."

"'Karaoke'? 'Hen night'? You speak excellent Russian, my dear, but sometimes I don't understand a word you're talking about."

Suddenly, they all heard snarls, growls and screams that sounded like they came from a few corridors down.

The Doctor and Sky quickly shared a look before running towards the sounds as Lucas, Clara and Grisenko followed them.

The Doctor and Sky were the first ones to find the bodies and kneeled beside them. The look on their faces told you just how horrible the scene was.

"Good God!" Grisenko gasped when they caught sight of the remains of the two Soviets. "Torn apart. It's a monster, a savage!"

"No, Professor." Sky shook his head. "It isn't a savage. Forensic, yes. Well, he's dismantled them, anyway. Skaldak's learning." He informed. "Learning all about you. Your strengths... Your weaknesses."

"Exactly." The Doctor agreed, scanning with his sonic before standing back up. "Come on."

The Doctor then dashed from the room, Grisenko, Lucas and Sky following after him.

Clara, however, couldn't seem to look away and Sky noticed this. He went back to her and gently took her arm, pulling her away before they began hurrying down another corridor.

The Doctor held his sonic out in front of him before holding up a hand. "Stay here."

"Okay." Clara nodded.

"Stay here. Don't argue."

Clara tilted her head. "I'm not."

The Doctor blinked as if just processing that. "Right." He said slowly. "Good."

"Is that usually an order that gets ignored, Doctor?" Lucas smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"For that, Mr. Harper, you're coming with me." The Doctor pointed at him.

"Fine by me." Lucas chuckled, raising his hands in surrender before following the Doctor up the ladder in front of them.

"It's a young man's game, all this dashing about!" Professor Grisenko sighed, sitting on the edge of an opening of a hatchway.

"Are you alright, Clara?" Sky asked, seeing the look on her face.

"I was doing okay." She said quietly. "I mean, the Glorious went in there and did the scary stuff, didn't she? She went in there with the Ice Warrior and it went okay. Actually, it went just about as badly as it could have done, but that wasn't her fault."

"Not at all." Professor Grisenko agreed.

"So, I'm happy about that."

"So that must mean it's something else that you're upset about." Sky pointed out, crossing his arms as he considered the woman before him. "Do you mind sharing what that is?"

"Seeing those bodies back there..." Clara sighed. "It's all got very... real. Are we going to make it?"

Sky sighed, uncrossing his arms before placing his hands on Clara's shoulders to get her to look right at him. "Clara, we will make it. But you have to understand, traveling with my family, it is dangerous. And sometimes, regrettably, potentially fatal. If you can't make peace with that, you shouldn't travel at all. My parents would tell you the same."

Clara out a slightly amused huff as Sky took his hands from her shoulders. "Well, at least you're honest."

 _With Lexi and Captain Zhukov_...

Lexi held up a hand suddenly when she heard a growl from nearby.

"Hear that?" She asked.

Zhukov nodded before his eyes widened as he saw something pass by a grate. "It's in the walls!"

 _With the Doctor and Lucas, Inside, Submarine, Maneuvering room_...

The Doctor opened the door to the room and skidded to a stop, making Lucas nearly run into him.

"Doctor?" Lucas questioned, taking a step back.

"Oh, Stepashin." The Doctor sighed, crouching down and picking up the wallet lying on the floor before finding a photo of a woman and Stepashin's ID card inside. It was smeared with blood.

Lucas frowned sadly before snapping to attention when he heard metal rattling and retreating footsteps.

The Doctor looked up, too, and scanned with his sonic before running along with Lucas following quickly behind him.

"Oh, oh, oh." The Doctor mumbled as they ran. "Fast... he's fast."

 _With Sky, Clara and Grisenko, Inside, Submarine, Corridor_...

"What was that?" Clara asked nervously, hearing an eerie groaning sound.

"The Doctor told you, it's just the boat settling." Grisenko reminded her. "Tell me about yourselves. What do you like doing? Clara? Sky?"

"Stuff." Clara shrugged. "You know, stuff."

"What she said." Sky agreed, looking around nervously as he heard a metallic rattling.

"'Stuff'." Grisenko nodded. "Very enlightening. And all of you, what you've been saying, is it true? You're all from another time? From our future?"

"Yes." Sky nodded.

"Tell me what happens." Grisenko said, getting up from where he had been sitting on the hatchway.

"We can't."

"Well, I need to know!"

"I don't think we're allowed." Clara said quickly, looking to Sky for help.

"No, please." Grisenko begged.

"We can't!" Clara insisted.

"Ultravox, do they split up?"

Sky blinked in surprise before chuckling. "I like you, Professor."

"You are funny." Clara agreed with a giggle before then gasping when hands reached down from above and grabbed her head.

"Clara!" Sky's eyes widened as Grisenko pulled out his own gun.

"Let her go!" Grisenko shouted, shooting his gun and making Skaldak let go of Clara abruptly. Grisenko grinned, twirling his gun. "See? I don't just like Western music."

Grisenko then gasped as Skaldak reached down and grabbed him next just before the Doctor and Lucas ran into the corridor, rushing up behind Clara and Sky.

"No, please, don't hurt him." Clara begged. "Please!"

"You attacked me." Skaldak hissed. "Martian law decrees that the people of this planet are forfeit. I now have all the information I require. It will take only one missile to begin the process. To end this Cold War."

"Grand Marshal, there is no need for this." The Doctor tried to reason with him. "Listen to me-"

"My distress call has not been answered." Skaldak said, cutting him off. "It will never be answered. My people are dead. They are dust." He growled. "There is nothing left for me except my revenge."

"There is something left for you, Skaldak." The Doctor said as Lexi, Zhukov and some of the remaining crewmen ran into the corridor. "Mercy."

"Mercy?" Skaldak questioned him.

"You must wear that armor for a reason, my friend." Zhukov sneered, lifting his rifle. "Let's see, shall we?"

"No, Captain, wait!" Lexi quickly grabbed the rifle barrel, pushing it back down.

"I will do whatever it takes to defend my world, Glorious."

"So will I. I'm from Earth, too." She told him. "But we are getting somewhere now. We're negotiating. Jaw-jaw not war-war."

Professor Grisenko looked at her. "Churchill?"

Lexi glanced at him and smiled, nodding. "Churchill. Lovely man. Most of the time."

"Very well." Zhukov grumbled, aiming his gun at Skaldak. "We'll negotiate, but from a position of strength."

"Excellent tactical thinking." Skaldak praise. "My congratulations, Captain."

Zhukov blinked in surprise. "Thank you."

"Unfortunately, your position is not, perhaps, as strong as you might hope."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked before frowning when he heard a low growl.

The Ice Warrior's armor suddenly arrived, chains still trailing from the ankles and wrapped around the torso as Skaldak streaked over to it before it then closed around him.

"He summoned the armour." Sky said in surprise.

"How did it do that?" Lucas blinked.

"Sonic tech, Lucas." Lexi answered. "The song of the Ice Warrior."

The crewman who had been with Lexi and Captain Zhukov suddenly came forward and started shooting at Skaldak as said Ice Warrior turned and walked away.

"No!" The Doctor quickly grabbed the crewman and stopped him shooting.

"My world is dead, but now there will be a second red planet!" Skaldak declared. "Red with the blood of humanity!"

"Skaldak!" The Doctor ran after him.

"Skaldak, please! Wait!" Lexi shouted as she ran after the Doctor, the others following her quickly.


	25. Cold War: Part 4 - FINAL

_Inside, Submarine, Control room_...

"He's arming the warheads!" Zhukov shouted as they all entered the control room to see the armor had plugged into the control panel.

"Where is the honor in condemning billions of innocents to death?" Lexi demanded. "Five thousand years ago Mars was the center of a vast empire. The jewel of this solar system. The people of Earth had only just begun to leave their caves. Five thousand years isn't such a long time. Hell, I knew a man who waited outside a box for two thousand years straight just so he could protect the woman that he loved." She said, thinking back on one of the most monumental adventures she had experienced. "Humans, they're still just frightened children. Still primitive. Who are you to judge them?"

"I am Skaldak!" The Ice Warrior roared, retracting the wires before turning to face Lexi, the Doctor and everyone else. "This planet is forfeit under Martian law!"

"Then teach them!" The Doctor urged. "Teach them, Grand Marshal. Show them another way. Show them there is honor in mercy. Is this how you want history to remember you? Grand Marshal Skaldak - Destroyer of Earth? Because that's what you'll be if you send those missiles. Not a soldier, a murderer. Five billion lives extinguished. No chance for goodbyes. A world snuffed out like a candle flame." He narrowed his eyes, watching as Skaldak's finger got closer to the detonator. "Alright, Skaldak, you leave us no choice. My wife, our son and myself are Time Lords. We know a bit about sonic technology ourselves."

The Doctor glanced over at Lexi and Sky, watching as they both pulled out their sonics. All three of them held their sonic screwdrivers out towards Skaldak.

"A threat?" Skaldak questioned, turning around to face them. "You threaten me?"

"You and all of us." Sky nodded. "We will blow this sub up before you can even reach that button, Grand Marshal. Blow us all to oblivion."

"You would sacrifice yourselves?"

"In a heartbeat." Lexi confirmed as she, her husband and their son held their sonics upwards, turning them on and making them glow red instead of their regular colors of pink, green and orange.

"Mutually assured destruction." He stated before turning to the button again.

"Look into our eyes, Skaldak." The Doctor told him. "Look into our eyes and tell us you're capable of doing this. Huh? Can you do that? Dare you do that? Look into our eyes, Skaldak, come on! Face-to-face."

"Well then," Skaldak chuckled darkly, turning back before his the helmet opened, letting you see his lizard-like face with lidless red eyes. "which of us shall blink first?"

"Why did you hesitate? Back there, in the dark, you were going to kill this man. Remember?" Clara questioned, gesturing to Professor Grisenko.

"My friend is right." Lucas agreed, taking a step forward. "She begged you not to kill him, and you listened. If you showed compassion then, why won't you show it now?"

"Remember what I said, Skaldak." Lexi spoke up. "Billions will die... Mothers, sons, fathers... daughters. Remember that last battle, Skaldak? Your daughter... You sang the songs..."

"Of the red snows." Skaldak nodded, hesitating.

"Exactly." Lexi stated, stepping forward a bit. "I answered you truthfully when you asked if I was a parent. It may not be obvious, but that is evidenced by this man right here." She pointed at Sky. "Would you take me from my children like you were snatched away from your own daughter?... Would you wish that on anybody else?"

The submarine then shifted suddenly, Lucas quickly grabbing Clara as the Doctor grabbed Sky, Lexi gripping onto one of the chairs.

"What's happening?" Clara asked nervously.

"My people live..." Skaldak said in wonder. "They have come for me!"

"We're rising." Zhukov stated as he watched the depth gauge. "We're rising!"

"600 meters." Professor Grisenko laughed in relief. "550!"

"We've surfaced." The Doctor sighed in relief. "Your people have saved us."

Skaldak chuckled darkly. "Saved me, not you."

"Just go, Skaldak, please." The Doctor sighed. "Please... go in peace."

Skaldak just offered a warrior's salute before then being teleported out of the submarine and onto his people's ship.

"We did it." Lucas laughed in relief himself.

"Not quite." Sky swallowed nervously as he went to the controls. "A single pulse from that ship... As much as I hate to say it," He began as turned back and looked at the Doctor and Lexi. "I will help you destroy this sub and all of us if we have to."

"Show mercy, Skaldak." The Doctor closed his eyes as he took Lexi's hand in his. "Come on, show mercy."

Clara breathed in, grabbing Lucas's hand before she began singing nervously. "Da-da-da-dah I'm lost and I'm found and I'm hungry like the wolf."

A klaxon then sounded as the key ports switched back, the lights turning green.

Lexi sighed in relief before she, The Doctor and Sky shut off their sonics.

Sky braced himself on a chair, bowing his head. "Now we're safe..."

Lexi hugged the Doctor in relief. "Saved the world yet again, dearie."

"Yeah." He smiled, hugging her back as Clara and Lucas walked over to them.

"So this is what we do?" Lucas asked, a small smile on his face.

"Pretty much." Lexi giggled, nodding.

Clara grinned. "I think we can get onboard with that."

 _Outside, North Pole, Day_...

The hatch opened, Captain Zhukov stepping out onto the submarine's tower followed by the Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Lucas, Clara, Professor Grisenko and the rest of the remaining crew.

"So, where did the TARDIS go?" Lucas questioned as they all looked up at the Martian ship. "You never exactly explained that."

"Oh, well, don't worry about that." The Doctor waved him off.

"Stop saying that!" Clara laughed. "Where is it?"

The Doctor shuffled awkwardly. "Yeah, well, I wasn't to know, was I?"

Before the Doctor could answer, Sky's phone dinged in his pocket. He quickly took the phone out, reading what was on the screen.

Lexi raised an eyebrow at her son. "What is it?"

"A reminder." He smiled, looking up from his phone. "I need to go."

"Go where?" Clara tilted her head.

"A bit of a birthday present." Sky answered before looking down at his phone, typing out a message. "I need to message Jupiter. We're off to London in 1814 for the last of the great Frost Fairs. We need to pick up Stevie Wonder before we can go, though."

"Wait." Lucas glanced at him quickly. "Stevie Wonder?"

"Oh yeah." Sky grinned, pocketing his cellphone again before taking out his sonic and using it on his vortex manipulator. "Let's hope that this thing doesn't drop me off in the wrong place again."

"That was a telephone?" Captain Zhukov whispered, leaning over to Grisenko.

"I'm guessing that it will be, Captain." The professor replied, chuckling before looking back up at the Martian ship.

"Don't stay gone too long." The Doctor smiled, putting an arm around Lexi as they watched their son key in coordinates into his VM.

"I'll try not to." Sky nodded, smiling at his parents before looking to Clara and Lucas. "Till the next time."

"Bye." Clara smiled, her and Lucas waving at him once before everyone watched him zap out of sight. Clara then sighed before she and Lucas turned to look at the Doctor and Lexi. "What did you mean before when you said that you 'weren't to know'? Know what?"

"Oh, you know..." The Doctor trailed off, waving his hand around aimlessly. "I've been tinkering... breaking her in. I'm allowed."

Lucas looked to Lexi. "Glorious, what did he do?"

Lexi smiled wide. "He reset the HADS."

"Huh?" Clara tilted her head.

"The HADS. Otherwise known as the Hostile Action Displacement System." Lexi grinned, the Doctor hanging his head slightly at being ratted out by his own wife. "If the TARDIS comes under attack by gunfire, time-winds, the sea; it'll relocate."

Lucas groaned. "Oh, isn't that just wonderful(?!)"

"Haven't used it in donkey's years." The Doctor confessed. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, never mind. It's bound to turn up somewhere."

Lexi was then alerted to the sound of her sonic whirring.

She pulled it out of her coat pocket and grinned. "Right on cue."

"Brilliant." Clara smiled.

Lexi paused before then looking up and at the Doctor as she glared daggers at him. "I... am going kick you... All the way to the SOUTH Pole!"

"No." Lucas deadpanned, sighing before pinching the bridge of his nose.

The Doctor looked from Lucas and Clara to Lexi, seeing her still scowling at him with her arms crossed as her foot tapped against the floor. He cringed before looking to Captain Zhukov. "Could we have a lift?"

Zhukov just laughed with the rest of his crew joining in, Professor Grisenko smiling as they all went back inside the submarine. The Doctor mocked them, Lexi rolling her eyes at her husband before they then turned and looked up at the Martian ship and watched it, saluting it as it flew away.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there ya have it!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the episode as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)**

 **Anyway, there's something I'd like to address. There's a question I've gotten a couple of times from a couple of different people. So, I thought I'd just answer it again right here for all of you to see.**

 **Here it is: When it comes time for 12 to regenerate into 13 (A.k.a. become the first female Doctor), will Lexi 2.0/The 2nd Glorious become male when she turns into her third self?**

 **The answer to that is: I don't believe she will. I kinda really like the idea of the Doctor and Lexi navigating their relationship with both of them being female. I mean, Lexi did make a promise to the Doctor that as long as he (eventual she) loved her, she would always be there for him/her. I don't think it's hard to tell that the Doctor would do the same for Lexi.**

 **And besides, I can't really envision Lexi ever becoming male. After all, no matter their genders, they will always be the Couple of Time.**

 **I hope most of you (if not all of you) can see it that way as well. ️**

 **But hey, we have 12 and Lexi 2.0's era to get through before even need to think about that!**

 **Anyway, enough of my little rant. Just thought I'd clear that up as best I could.**

 **Now, I suppose I'll just say goodbye for now. There's a little filler chapter coming up next, so be on the look out for that.**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	26. Clara, Lucas, the TARDIS & Someone Else

**A/N: Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm glad that it seemed like y'all enjoyed " _Cold War_ ".**

 **Anyway, here's a little filler chapter that's based off of the Doctor Who minisode " _Clara and the TARDIS_ ". I thought it would be fun to write and put my own spin on it.**

 **So...**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Clara entered the console room, clad in her pajamas as she frowned up at the ceiling. "Where is it?"

The TARDIS beeped nonchalantly.

"I know what happened." Clara crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. "I went to the bathroom... Thank you for the hologram leopard, by the way. That sure was an unexpected pleasure. Anyway, when I was done, my bedroom was completely missing!" She sighed. "Just tell me where you put it."

The TARDIS just beeped again.

Lucas took that moment to enter the console room, a mug of tea raised to his mouth as he stopped abruptly at the sight of Clara arguing with the TARDIS.

"Look," Clara began as she took a seat in a chair. "I know you don't like me very much, but I can't understand why." She stated, making the TARDIS beep a few times. "Oi, no sass. You are sassing me, aren't you? Those aren't just random beeps." The TARDIS beeped again. "Come on, Lucas and I can't be the first people they've brought along. And anyway, you don't seem to have a problem with Lucas." She said, not taking notice of Lucas watching from the upper level by a corridor opening on the other side of the room.

The TARDIS beeped again a few times.

"Are you laughing?" Clara asked, surprised as she stood up from the chair she had sat herself down in. "You are laughing, aren't you? Those are amused beeps!" She crossed her arms again. "You like messing with me!" She exclaimed, the TARDIS beeping again before Clara just sighed as she stood up straight. "Fine, I give in. I'm gonna go find my dumb bedroom!" She then turned around to leave, but stopped abruptly when she saw herself standing there. "Who the hell are you?"

"What's going on?" Jupiter asked, suddenly walking up next to Lucas and making him jump slightly at her sudden presence.

"You, from tomorrow night." That Clara replied before walking past the actual Clara and to the console. "Okay, where have you put it? Where's my bedroom?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Lucas glanced over at Jupiter before looking to the Clara(s) again.

"This isn't funny!" Another Clara exclaimed from the upper level of the console room, across from Lucas and Jupiter. "I'm exhausted! Where is it?!"

"Oh no..." Jupiter sighed, looking around at the different Claras as they appeared.

"You think you've got problems?" Another Clara asked from the upper level, making the original Clara look up to see her and yet another Clara standing there.

"I don't understand it." Lucas said, confused as he looked from all the Claras to look at Jupiter again. "The TARDIS doesn't have a problem with me. At least, I don't she does."

That Clara gestured to herself and the Clara beside her. "We've gotta share a bed."

"I wish I could give you an answer." Jupiter giggled before turning back around to walk out of the console room, gesturing for Lucas to follow her. "Come on, I'll go make us more tea."

Lucas just shrugged, giving all the Claras one more look before following after Jupiter and leaving the original Clara to look around at all her other selves.

"Oh dear God..." She sighed, watching as numerous hers kept appearing, asking where her bedroom was.

* * *

 **A/N: There you go!**

 **This didn't turn out exactly how I planned, but I still hoped you liked it.**

 **Anyway, I'd like to personally wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉 I hope you begin your 2018 doing what you want and that your rest of the year goes how you would like it to. ️**

 **Now, I suppose I'll say goodbye for now until I get the next episode up. The episode itself will be... " _Hide_ "!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	27. Hide: Part 1

**A/N: Hello there!**

 **Glad to see that y'all liked the last filler chapter. I just felt like publishing a random humorous little somethin'.**

 **Anyway, I don't think that I have much else to say at the moment. So, I suppose I'll just go ahead and introduce our guest star for this episode...**

~o0o~

 **Guest Starring**

 _Emma Stone_ as Jupiter Pond

~o0o~

 **Yep! Jupe is going ghost hunting, too!**

 **I mean, Sky was along for the last adventure in the Soviet submarine in 1983. I figured it was only fair that Jupiter gets to 'hunt ghosts' in an old and spooky house in 1974.**

 **Anyway, I guess I won't keep you any longer...**

 **So, without further ado, I now gladly present to you... "Hide"!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, House, Parlor, Night_...

"How are we looking?" A woman, Emma Grayling, enquired as she entered the parlor to see a man, Professor Alec Palmer, surrounded by tables of electronic equipment.

"Oh..." He trailed off, a bit nervous. "About ready, I think."

"Any thoughts on the, er, interference?" She questioned.

"Er, a stray FM broadcast, possibly?" Alec responded as he sat down at a table. "But I've fitted some ferrite suppressors and some RF chokes. Just in case." He informed as he stood back up and, putting a camera around his neck. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, the last time was very..."

"But she's so lonely." Emma quickly told him, insisting.

"Excellent, then." Alec nodded. "Excellent." He then sat back down, putting on a headset before tapping on a microphone and speaking into it. "Caliburn House, night four, November 25th, 1974. 11.04pm."

Alec then nodded to Emma, said woman taking a few steps forward to the archway at the base of the stairs in the room. Alec watched her and stood up, holding up a parabolic microphone and aiming it towards the arch.

"I'm talking to the spirit that inhabits this house. Are you there? Can you hear me?" Emma spoke as she took a couple of cautious steps forwards. "I'm speaking to the lost soul that abides in this place." She said, the microphone Alec held picking up static and hissing sounds. Alec looked over to one of the machines that recorded energy levels, seeing that the needles were moving over the paper. "Come to me. Speak to me." Emma spoke again. "Let me show you the way home."

Suddenly, a high-pitched whine came over the headphones, causing the Alec to shout out and pull them away from his ears. The machinery then reacted, registering the sound just before a distorted screaming could be heard.

"Let me show you the way home!" Emma exclaimed as she backed out of the dark hallway.

Alec quickly picked up the camera and began clicking away as he faced the archway. And at each click, a misty white figure appeard, an arm stretched out towards them. The figure came closer just before Emma gasped as the figure appeared to have passed through her, making her fall against a chair.

"Emma?" Alec asked, concerned as he rushed over to her.

Alec held her as he helped her stand back up straight before putting his hands on her shoulders while she gripped his lapels.

"She's so..." Emma breathed out, trying to get words to come out of her mouth.

"So what?" Alec questioned her as he continued to hold onto her by the shoulders.

Emma breathed heavily before looking up into Alec's eyes. "...Dead."

Just then, there was a sudden knocking at the front door, making both Emma and Alec turn their heads before they began to walk slowly towards the main door.

When they reached the front door, Alec slowly walked up to it, taking hold of the door handle before pulling the door open.

There was no one there.

Alec frowned before jumping when the Doctor and Lexi stuck their heads out from either side of the door from where they were outside.

"Boo!" The Doctor grinned.

"Hello." Lexi smiled at Alec. "We're looking for a ghost."

"And you are...?" Alec questioned them, confused.

"Ghostbusters!" Jupiter, Clara and Lucas all exclaimed as they jumped into view; Clara holding her umbrella

"But you know, we actually do have names." The Doctor commented before holding up the psychic paper. "I'm the Doctor." He pointed at Lexi. "She's the Glorious." He then gesture to the three people behind them. "And they're Jupiter, Clara and Lucas."

Alec squinted, looking at the psychic paper. "Doctor what?"

"If you like." The Doctor shrugged. "Ah, but you are very different." He then walked right past Alec before rushing into the parlor excitedly as he went to investigate Alec's equipment while Emma watched him, startled. "You are Major Alec Palmer. Member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Specialized in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines. You're a talented water-colourist, professor of psychology AND... ghost hunter! Total pleasure. Massive."

"Actually, you're wrong." Emma finally spoke up. "Professor Palmer spent most of the war as a POW."

"Actually, that's a lie told by a very brave man involved in very secret operations." Lexi corrected, walking over to stand next to the Doctor by the equipment.

"The kind of man who keeps a Victoria Cross in a box in the attic, eh?" The Doctor smiled, raising an eyebrow at Alec before looking to Emma. "But you know that because you're Emma Grayling, the Professor's companion."

"Assistant." She corrected.

"It's 1974. You're the assistant and non-objective equipment."

"Which is code for he thinks that's cool." Jupiter chimed in, giving Emma's shoulder a gentle pat as she passed her on her way to look at the equipment for herself.

"So, non-objective equipment..." Lucas trailed off, crossing his arms as he thought out loud. "You're a psychic, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Emma nodded slowly, looking terribly confused at all these people that had turned up.

"Relax, Emma." Alec told her. "They're Military Intelligence. So what's all this in aid of?"

"Health and safety." The Doctor answered immediately. "The Ministry got wind of what's going on down here. Sent my colleagues and I to check that everything's in order."

"They don't have the right." Alec objected.

"Don't worry, we'll be out your hair in five minutes." Lexi promised before glancing at the Doctor, seeing him examining the equipment.

"Oh, this is lovely." The Doctor grinned. "The ACR 99821. Oh, bliss! Nice action on the toggle switches. You know, I do love a toggle switch. Actually, I like the word 'toggle'. Nice noun. Excellent verb." He stated, nudging Clara's hand away as she came to investigate. "Oi, don't mess with the settings."

Alec frowned when the Doctor stood and took out his sonic screwdriver from his inside jacket pocket.

"What's that?" Alec asked as the Doctor scanned him and Emma with it.

"Gadget." The Doctor answered. "Health and safety. Classified, I'm afraid." He said before stepping under the arch right next to where Lucas stood. "You know, while the back room boffins work out a few kinks."

"And what exactly is that health and safety gadget telling you, Doctor?" Lucas questioned as he raised an eyebrow at him, watching as he turned back around and scanned the archway.

"It's telling me that none of us have been exposed to any life-threatening transmundane emanations. So..." He trailed off, spinning around and clapping his hands together. "Where's the ghost?" He asked, walking back to where Emma and Alec stood, picking up a lit candelabra. "Show me the ghost." He said softly, turning back towards the exit of the room when a sudden and eerie whooshing noise was heard, making him smile.

"It's ghost time..."

 _Inside, House, Hall_...

"I won't have this stolen out from under me, do you understand?" Alec stated, frustrated as he and the Doctor walked down the dark hall, the candelabra the only source of light.

"Er, no, not really." The Doctor shook his head. "Sorry."

"I will not have my work stolen, then be fobbed off with a pat on the back and a letter from the Queen. Never again! This is my house, Doctor, and it belongs to me."

Clara blinked. "This is actually your house?"

"It is." Alec nodded.

"Sorry." Clara shook her head, confused. "You went to the bank and said, 'You know that gigantic old haunted house on the moors? The one the dossers are too scared to doss in? The one the birds are too scared to fly over?' And then you said, 'I'd like to buy it, please, with my money.'"

Alec nodded. "Yes, I did, actually."

"That's incredibly brave, mate." Lucas commented, walking past him and up to a window to see rain pouring down hard and lightening happening every few seconds.

Something then creaked nearby, making Clara and Jupiter turn in that direction as they looked around nervously.

"Listen, Major," Lexi spoke up, walking up next to the Doctor. "we just need to know what's going on here. That's all."

"For the Ministry?" Alec asked, trying to clarify.

"You know we can't answer that." The Doctor told him.

Alec sighed. "Very well. Follow me."

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

Lexi smirked in amusement as she watched the Doctor dart about the parlor, taking pictures of himself.

"Selfie, hashtag 1974." The Doctor said as he went and put an arm around Jupiter's shoulders, snapping a photo of the two of them.

"Dad, please." Jupiter rolled her eyes.

Shaking their heads at the time family, Clara and Lucas went and joined Emma off to the side.

"So what's an empathic psychic?" Clara asked.

"Sometimes I sense feelings the way a telepath can sense thoughts." Emma explained. "Sometimes, though. Not always."

"The most compassionate people you'll ever meet, empathics." The Doctor commented, walking in between them to the small bar before he started looking at all the bottles. "And the loneliest." He added before taking a drink of milk right from the bottle. "I mean, exposing themselves to all those hidden feelings, all that guilt, pain and sorrow and– OW!"

Lucas raised an eyebrow as Lexi head-slapped him.

"Doctor, do shut up." The red-head ordered.

"Yes, dear." He agreed almost instantly.

"Would you, er, care to have a look?" Alec questioned, getting their attention as he gestured to a board he had set up with pictures and notes of the history of the house and the ghost. "Caliburn House is over 400 years old but she's been here much longer... the Caliburn Ghast." He explained, pointing to a picture of the ghost as everyone walked over to see. "She's mentioned in local Saxon poetry and Parish folk tales. The Wraith of the Lady, the Maiden in the Dark... the Witch of the Well."

"Is she real?" Clara enquired. "As in, actually real?"

"Oh, she's real." Alec assured her. "In the 17th century, a local clergyman saw her. He wrote that her presence was accompanied by a, 'dreadful knocking, as if the Devil himself demanded entry.' During the war, American airmen stationed here left offerings of tinned spam. The tins were found in 1965, bricked up in the servants' pantry, along with a number of handwritten notes. Appeals to the Ghast... 'For the love of God, stop screaming.'"

"She never changes." Jupiter noted, tilting her head as she examined the pinned-up photographs. "The angle's different, the framing, but she's always in the exact same position. Why, though?"

"We don't know." Alec replied as the Doctor got the candelabra, holding it closer to examine the photos more clearly. "She's an objective phenomenon. But objective recording equipment can't detect her..."

"Without the presence of a powerful psychic." Lucas finished, his brain catching up to what Alec was explaining to them.

"Absolutely." Alec nodded at him. "Very well done."

"I love a good ghost story." Lucas shrugged before looking back to the all photographs. "Although, this is turning out a bit more real than just a story..."

"She knows I'm here." Emma nodded in agreement. "I can feel her... calling out to me."

"What's she saying?" Clara asked.

"'Help me.'"

"'The Witch of the Well'." The Doctor hummed. "So where's the well?"

"A copy of the oldest plan that we could find, there is no well on the property." Alec said as he lead the Doctor over to a table that had plans of the house resting on top of it. "None that we could find, anyway."

Lexi, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas were all staring at the photographs, Lexi and Clara jumping when the Doctor came up behind them and tapped them on their heads which made them gasp and turn around to face him.

"You coming?" He whispered, looking from them to Lucas and Jupiter.

"Where?" Clara raised an eyebrow.

"To find the ghost!"

"Why would I want to do that?!"

"Because you want to. Come on."

"Well, I dispute that assertion."

The Doctor smirked slightly before giving Clara a face. "I'm giving you a face. Can you see me? Look at my face."

"Fine." She hissed. "Dare me."

"I dare you. No takesies-backsies."

Clara just shook her head before snatching the candelabra from the Doctor and marching off through the door.

"The music room is the heart of the house." Emma called over to them.

"Anyone else want to come with?" The Doctor enquired, turning to Lexi, Jupiter and Lucas.

Lexi raised her hand immediately before walking off to follow Clara.

"I think I'll stay here." Jupiter spoke up, not being able to bring herself to turn away from the photos.

"You know, I think I'll stay, too." Lucas nodded, pointing at Jupiter in agreement. "You know, in case something happens."

"Suit yourselves." The Doctor shrugged before turning around, heading off with Lexi and Clara.

"So, the Major and the Psychic." Jupiter stated quietly to where only Lucas could hear her, both of them examining the photographs. "There's totally something there."

Lucas chuckled. "Definitely."


	28. Hide: Part 2

_Inside, House, Hall, Night_...

"Say we actually find her. What do we say?" Clara whispered as she, the Doctor and Lexi walked through the dark corridors of the house.

"We ask how she came to be, whatever she is." The Doctor shrugged.

"Why?"

"Because I don't know. And ignorance is... what's the opposite of bliss?"

"Carlisle."

"Yes. Yes, Carlisle. Ignorance is Carlisle."

As the Doctor and Clara left a particular hall to walk into the kitchen, Lexi paused for a moment. She glanced behind her, swearing that she saw something move.

Seeing nothing, she just brushed it off before going to catch up with the Doctor and Clara.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

Jupiter and Lucas checked behind a few other doors, working quietly enough so they could hear Emma and Alec talking with each other.

"Are they really from the Ministry?"

"Er, I don't know." Alec answered. "They've certainly got the right demeanour. Capricious... brilliant."

"Deceitful."

"Yes. Ha..." Alec chuckled. "They're liars... but, you know, that's often the way that it is... when someone's... seen a thing or two. Experience makes liars of us all." Jupiter agreed with that statement. No one knew that more than her family. "We lie about who we are... about what we've done..."

"And how we feel?" Emma asked softly.

"Yes." Alec nodded. "Always, always that." Emma tilted her head slightly as she ever so slowly walked her fingers along the desk towards Alec's hand, making him clear his throat nervously. "You know, I have to... have to be getting on with things. The, er, the equipment and so forth."

"Of course." Emma nodded, trying not to look disappointed as Alec walked away from her.

Jupiter resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall at Alec's resistance of Emma subtle advances, Lucas trying not to laugh at the face Jupiter was making.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

"Ah, the music room." The Doctor said as he, Clara and Lexi entered a room that had a harp in one corner with music stands placed about the rest of the room. "The heart of the house. Do you feel anything?"

"No." Clara answered immediately.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." Lexi said in a sing-song voice, walking past Clara and going to the harp, plucking a few strings before taking out her sonic and scanning around the room. She frowned slightly when it flickered, not working like it should.

As Lexi slapped her sonic against the palm of her hand, Clara walked further into the room until she stood near the Doctor.

Clara tilted her head as Lexi walked over to them, frowning when she saw Lexi's sonic flickering just like the Doctor's seemed to be doing at that moment as well.

"Do you feel like you're being watched?" Clara whispered.

"What does being watched feel like?" The Doctor asked. "Is it that funny tickly feeling on your neck?"

"That would be it, dearie." Lexi nodded, looking around the room nervously.

"Then, yes, a bit. Well, quite a big bit." He nodded as he and Lexi put away their sonics before walking towards the door, stopping just in front of it.

The Couple of Time shared a look before taking a step closer to the door and exhaling, both of their breaths being visible.

Clara whirled around when she heard a whooshing noise, not seeing anything before a creaking and scraping sound was heard. "I think she's here..."

The Doctor stepped forward and exhaled again.

Nothing.

He then stepped back and exhaled, seeing his breath again.

"Cold spot. Spooky." He said quietly before turning around and grabbing Lexi's hands, making her step with him. "Feel that?" He asked her. "Cold..." He whispered, Lexi quirking an eyebrow at her husband, nonetheless going along with it and doing a sort of dance as the Doctor went about trying to find exactly where the cold spots were. "Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold." He then let go of Lexi's hands before taking a piece of chalk out of his jacket and drawing a chalk circle on the floor to mark the cold spot.

Clara raised an eyebrow at the two. "Doctor? Glorious?"

"Hm?" Lexi turned around to look at her, not being able wipe the small smile from her face because of the silliness of what she and husband had just done.

Clara breathed in nervously. "I'm not happy."

"No." The Doctor said before running from the room.

"Doctor!" Lexi hisssed, running after her husband.

"Hey, wait!" Clara ran after the two, running across the circle just before steam rose from the edges of it.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

"Major!" Jupiter and Lucas both called as they saw the needles on the paper graph start to move.

 _Inside, House, Hall_...

Clara spun around when she heard a loud thud. "What was that?"

The Doctor and Lexi paused by a window, turning to face Clara just before a couple more loud thuds were heard.

The trio shared a look before all breathing out, their breaths being visible.

A sudden gust of air blew out the candles in the cdelabra, making the three of them looking at each other before quickly running off.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

"Does it seem colder?" Alec asked.

Lucas frowned at Alec's question before looking at the thermometer that he happened to be standing next to, watching as the mercury dropped to zero.

 _Inside, House, Hall_...

Lexi blew on her hands and rubbed them together as she, the Doctor and Clara looked at the window as it frosted over.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

Emma looked around at the windows before looking towards the main archway.

"She's coming." She whispered.

 _Inside, House, Hall_...

"Okay, what is that?" Clara asked as they walked down a hallway, hearing an echoing thud.

"It's a very loud noise." The Doctor responded, leaning on his elbow against the wall as he looked at Clara and Lexi. "It's a very loud, very angry noise."

"Yes, but what's making it?" Lexi whispered.

"I don't know. Are you making it?"

There was then another loud thud. A thud that sounded like it was getting closer which made the Doctor rush over to stand beside Lexi and Clara.

"Doctor? Glorious?" Clara took a deep breath as she glanced around nervously.

"Yes?" Lexi asked.

"I may be a teeny, tiny bit terrified."

"Yes?"

"But I'm still a grown-up."

"Mainly, yes." The Doctor nodded.

"What are you trying to get at, Miss Oswald?" Lexi asked from her spot in between Clara and the Doctor.

"Glorious, what I'm trying to tell you is that... you don't need to actually hold my hand."

"Clara?" Lexi's asked as her eyes widened, the Doctor watching as she slowly brought up both her hands to hold them out in front of her.

"Yes?"

"I'm not holding your hand."

The trio slowly turned around to look behind them and, in a flash of lightning, saw the outline of something which made them scream before quickly turning back around and running away.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

Alec looked over, seeing the Doctor, Lexi and Clara run down the stairs just as a whirling dark dish materialized as the trio reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Has this happened before?" The Doctor questioned, taking out his sonic and scanning the whirling dark dish.

"Never." Alec shook his head before looking to the dish again.

"Camera! Camera!" The Doctor motioned for Alec to hand him the camera, said man not resisting at all as he quickly handed the Doctor the device. He then began taking pictures of the spinning dish, said dish beginning to spin faster before cracks began to form inside it.

Still looking at the archway, Emma gasped just before a figure appeared in what seemed to be a wood.

Just then, there was an eerie and distorted shouting. Lucas and Jupiter turning their heads, both of them seeing the figure as well.

"Uh, Glorious?! Doctor?!" Lucas backed away, eyes wide.

The Doctor, Lexi and Jupiter turned around, the Doctor continuing to take photos with the camera as Emma was becoming overwhelmed with the contact to the figure.

"Help me!" A woman's voice went through Emma's head.

Emma then suddenly collapsed, Alec rushing to catch her just as a crash was heard from upstairs, making Jupiter look up to high place on the wall.

"Dad, Mum."

The Doctor, Lexi, Lucas, Clara, Emma and Alec all followed Jupiter's gaze.

A message glowed on the wall: Help Me.

However, it soon faded away just before the spinning dark dish disappeard.

 _Later_...

Lexi sat across from Emma, nursing a glass of Scotch as

Jupiter poured glasses of the same drink for Emma and Clara before pouring one for herself and leaning against the table.

Emma took a sip of her Scotch and made a face. "Ugh, I'd rather have a nice cup of tea."

"I agree." Clara said, not liking the taste of her own Scotch before taking Emma's glass and setting it on the table. "Whisky's the 11th most disgusting thing ever invented."

"I don't mind it." Lexi shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she took another sip from her glass. "After all, a Scot loves a good whisky."

"It's not bad, is it?" Jupiter mused, taking another sip of her own Scotch.

"But you're not Scottish. You're English." Clara pointed out.

"Eh." Jupiter shrugged as she swirled her glass, watching the golden liquid spin around. "I'm half-Scottish. Technically."

"And you know," Lexi begin, a slight smirk on her face. "Like mother, like daughter."

 _Inside, House, Dark room_...

"We had a little peek at your records, back at the Ministry." The Doctor stated as he and Lucas looked at pictures that were clipped to string criss-crossing the room while Alec developed the new photos. "You've certainly seen a thing or two in your time, disrupting U-Boat operations across the North Sea, sabotaging railway lines across Europe, Operation Gibbon, the one with the carrier pigeons - brilliant. I do love a carrier pigeon."

"I did my duty, but then so did thousands of others." Alec replied as he was developing a photo. "Millions of others, actually. I was just lucky enough to come back."

The picture developing was the one of the Doctor had taking of himself and Jupiter, except the ghost was in the background.

"Major," Lucas spoke up as he looked down at the picture Alec was developing. "if you don't mind me asking, how did you: a man that is a war hero end up in a place like this? In a lonely old house, looking for ghosts?"

"Because... I killed." Alec told him honestly. "And I caused to have killed... I sent young men and women to their deaths... but here I am, still alive, and... it does tend to haunt you." He stated, looking back down at the photograph. "Living, after so much of... you know, the other thing."

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

"So, tell me, Emma." Lexi said with a smile, crossing her legs as she leaned forward in her seat across from the psychic. "Have you and Professor Palmer ever... y'know?"

Emma smiled and blushed, looking down as she shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Clara chimed in as she picked up a tea kettle. "You do know how he feels about you, don't you? You of all people."

"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "People like me... sometimes, we get our signals mixed up." She sighed. "We think people are feeling the way we want them to feel... you know, when they're special to us. When, really, there's nothing there."

"Ha!" Jupiter laughed, pouring herself another glass of Scotch as Clara handed Emma a cup of steaming tea. "Sweetheart, this is definitely there."

"How do you know?" Emma questioned before taking a sip of tea.

"It's so obvious." Lexi chuckled as she lifted her glass of Scotch to her lips. "It sticks out like my husband's chin."

 _Inside, House, Dark room_...

"See, I was alone and unmarried and... I didn't mind dying. I mean, not for that cause." Alec explained to Lucas and the Doctor. "It was a very fine cause, defeating the enemy."

The Doctor glanced at Alec. "And if you could contact them, what would you say?"

"Well... I'd very much like to thank them."

"Uh-huh." The Doctor nodded slowly before taking the photo from the tray on the table in the middle of the room. "Ping!" He grinned before clipping the photo onto a wire.

"Who do you think she is?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Not what I thought she'd be."

Alec glanced at the Doctor as Lucas tilted his head. "What did you think she'd be?"

"Fun. Can I borrow your camera?" He asked, Alec Alec handing said device to him. "Ta." He thanked him before walking off, Lucas following after him.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

"What about you, Glorious?" Emma enquired. "You know, you and the Doctor?"

"Oh, there's not much to tell, really." Lexi shrugged, not wanting to divulge too much information. "Clearly you can sense more than you lead people to believe, so I won't go into too much detail. Long story short, the Doctor and I are just two individuals who care a lot about each other and can't really envision either one of us being without the other."

"Mm." Emma nodded as Jupiter and Clara watched them converse from where they leaned against the table. "But there are... darker subject matters that neither one of you likes to speak about."

"I'm sorry?" Lexi tilted her head slightly in confusion, sitting up straighter in her chair.

"You trust each other with all you have." Emma stated simply, seemingly ignoring the look Lexi was giving her. "You both have endured things that have... changed you. The Doctor is dangerous. There's a sliver of ice in his heart. But, you already knew that because there is a sliver of ice in your heart as well... And he's the one that provided the cause for it to be put there. But that's not what you're scared of... You are scared because you're okay with that even though you shouldn't be."

Lexi blinked, glancing over at Jupiter and Clara before looking back to Emma, stunned by what said woman had just so accurately deduced.

"Lex! Jupiter! Clara!" The Doctor called as he rushed past the arch away, Lucas following closely behind as he gestured for the three women to follow them.

 _Outside, House_...

The Doctor, Lucas, Jupiter, Lexi and Clara all ran down the steps as rain poured down upon them. Clara and Jupiter were huddled under Clara's umbrella as the five of them stopped a few feet from the TARDIS.

"I've got this weird feeling it's looking at me." Clara spoke up as she eyed the TARDIS. "I don't think it likes me. In fact, I know it doesn't like me. It hid my bedroom from me just the other night."

The Doctor chuckled. "The TARDIS, she's... like a cat. You know, a bit slow to trust." He explained before running to the TARDIS, Lexi and Lucas rushing after him. "Don't worry, you'll get there in the end." He said before he, Lexi and Lucas went inside.

Clara glanced at Jupiter as they were both still huddled under the umbrella, seeing said woman smirking in amusement at her. Clara just rolled her eyes playfully, glancing back at the house before she and Jupiter ran to the TARDIS.

Jupiter gently wrapped her fingers around the door handle, the TARDIS greeting her cheerfully before opening the door, letting her and Clara step inside.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

As Jupiter shut the door, Clara looked around for a place to put the umbrella. "You need a place to keep this."

"We've got one." The Doctor responded, pointing. "Or we had one... I think we had one." He said as he started looking around before turning back to the console. "Look around, see if you can find it. Lex, did we have one? Am I going mad?"

Lexi giggled. "Do you really want me to answer that."

"No." He said immediately, quickly looking to her and seeing her mouth open and a finger raised. "Don't you dare."

Jupiter just rolled her eyes at her parents before looking to Clara just as said woman was about to start shaking the umbrella.

Jupiter quickly rushed over to her and snatched the umbrella from her. "I wouldn't do that. She'll get even more huffy at you if you start shaking more water on her. She's already soaking wet from the rain outside."

With that, Jupiter turned back around, walking past Lucas before setting the umbrella down in a chair and going and joining her parents at the console.

"Sorry." Clara said as she looked up at the TARDIS ceiling, the TARDIS herself gurgling in response.

"Okay..." Lucas trailed off as he walked around the console. "So, where are we going?"

"Nowhere." The Doctor answered. "We're staying right here. Right here, on this exact spot. You know, if I can work out how to do it."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "So... When are we going?

"Ha!" Lexi laughed. That is good. That is top-notch, Miss Oswald."

"But what's the answer?" Lucas questioned, crossing his arms as the Doctor walked towards a set of stairs.

The Doctor turned around to face everyone. "We're going always." He answered before spinning back around and going down the steps.

"'We're going always.'" Clara nodded slowly, unsure of what the Doctor meant.

"Totally." The Doctor responded, reaching up for something out of everyone's view.

"Dad, I get what you're saying." Jupiter chimed in. "But, what you said isn't actually a sentence."

"Well, it's got a verb in it. What do you think?" He asked, turning back and walking back over towards everyone with an orange spacesuit in his hands.

"Color's a bit boisterous." Clara told him.

"I think it brings out my eyes." The Doctor frowned, glancing at the spacesuit in his hands.

Lucas chuckled. "No offense, mate, but it makes my eyes hurt."

Lexi covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh as the Doctor dropped his arms, dejected by Lucas's comment.

Jupiter giggled, shaking her head before just going to the console and setting the TARDIS in motion.

 _Inside, House_...

"Did you see where they went?" Alec asked as he and Emma watched from a window. "I could hear an engine but I can't see any lights."

There was then a flash of lightning, both Alec and Emma missing the sight of the ghost in the next window as it reached out to them.

 _Outside, TARDIS_...

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, wearing the spacesuit.

The surface of the planet itself was volcanic with a dark grey sky.

The Doctor then began scanning with the sonic before picking up the camera to take a few pictures.

 _Inside, TARDIS_...

Lexi and Jupiter looked to the door when it opened before the Doctor rushed in with steam rising from his suit.

"Back off! Hot suit! Hot, hot, hot!" He exclaimed as he walked to console, the TARDIS door closing on its own.

"When are we?" Clara piped up, walking out from behind the other side of the console.

"About six billion years ago." The Doctor answered. "It's a Tuesday, I think."

"Well, then, let's go a bit forwards." Jupiter spoke up, flipping a lever as Lucas walked up next to where she was standing.

 _Outside, Jungle_...

The five of them all walked through a prehistoric jungle with large insects.

"How's this for history, Lucas?" Lexi smiled, glancing over at her companion as they trailed behind Clara, Jupiter and the Doctor.

Lucas couldn't even bring himself to answer as he looked around in awe at the beautiful scenery while the Doctor took another photo.

 _Outside, House, Day_...

In what appeared to be the Victorian era, Lexi now held the camera as she took a photo of the back of Caliburn House as Lucas stood next to her.

Lexi grinned before then turning around, making Lucas turn around with her before she held the camera out in front of them and snapped a photo of the two them to look back at later.

Lucas couldn't help but smile at the Glorious's cheerfulness.

 _Inside, TARDIS_...

"Back in a mo." The Doctor said, now wearing the spacesuit again as he opened the door and looked back at Clara where she stood next Lucas. "Are you all right?"

"Totally." Clara replied. "Peachy keen."

"Okay then." The Doctor shrugged. "Well, don't press any buttons or pull any levers, or make any funny faces. Actually, don't move. Stand completely still. Don't breathe. Well, you can breathe... but shallow breaths."

Clara just gave him a thumbs-up which he returned before stepping outside. She then walked past Lucas, Lexi and Jupiter before going watch the Doctor on the monitor.

Lexi poked her head into view from the other side of the console, tilting her head in confusion as she looked at Clara. "Are you sure you're alright, Clara."

She sighed, looking away from the monitor and at Lexi. "Have we just watched the entire life cycle of Earth? Birth to death?"

"Yes..." Lexi said slowly, as she walked around the console to be next to Clara, Jupiter and Lucas watching them curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Clara looked to the monitor before looking back to Lexi. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah." Lexi nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't get it." Clara shook her head. "How can you be okay with something like that?"

"Because... because I am." Lexi told her. "The Earth technically always exists. It never truly doesn't exist. I mean, not when you don't look at it from a linear point of view. As the Doctor would say, it's all wibbly wobbly"

"That's not what I mean."

"What do you mean, then?" Lexi asked, crossing her arms.

"I mean, one minute you're in 1974, looking for ghosts but all you have to do is open your eyes and talk to whoever's standing there." Clara explained. "To you, the Doctor and Jupiter, and even Sky, people like me and Lucas; we haven't even been born yet... and to all of you, we've been dead one-hundred billion years. Are our bodies out there somewhere? In the ground?"

"Well... yeah." Lexi shrugged. "I suppose they are."

"But here we are, talking. So we are ghosts."

"Clara, is that really how you're perceiving all of this?" Lucas asked in disbelief, tilting his head at his friend's statement just as the Doctor opened the door, re-entering the TARDIS.

Ignoring Lucas, Clara took a step towards Lexi. "To you, we are ghosts... we're all ghosts to you. We must be nothing."

"Oh, Miss Oswald." Lexi sighed. "You are so wrong." She gave Clara a small smile as the Doctor eyed them while slowly walking over to where Lucas and Jupiter stood watching the two women. "If you remember that very brief explanation I gave to you and Lucas while we were all on that crashing plane the first time we encountered the both of you, you'll remember that I said I'm a former human turned Time Lady. I was not lying when I said that. I'm not going to go into details about how it happened. Bottom line, is that I was born human. I'm from Earth. Earth will always be my home. I mean, all of my ancestors are human. Half of Jupiter and Sky's ancestors are human. So, do not ever think that you humans are nothing because I've got news for you: _you are **everything**_."

"But what do you mean?" She asked earnestly. "How can we be? What are we exactly?"

Lexi just smiled and turned back to the console, looking from Clara to Lucas before flipping a lever.

"You are the only mysteries worth solving."


	29. Hide: Part 3

_Inside, House, Parlor, Night_...

There was now a slide projector set up as the Doctor and Lexi handed Alec the slides from the photographs they had taken

"What's wrong?" Emma enquired as she walked over to where Clara was looking at the photos pinned up on the board.

"Nothing really. It's just..." Clara sighed. "I kinda just saw something I wish I hadn't."

Emma tilted her head. "What did you see?"

"That... everything ends."

"No, not everything. Not love..." Emma shook her head before looking over at Alec. "Not always."

"Right! Done! That's it, gather round, gather round. Roll up! Roll up!" The Doctor spoke up as Jupiter and Lucas walked up beside him, Jupiter using her sonic on the projector. "The Ghast of Caliburn House - never changing, trapped in a moment of fear and torment. But, what if she's not?" He questioned. "What if she's just trapped somewhere time runs more slowly than it does here? What if a second to her was one-hundred thousand years to us? And what if somebody has a magic box - a blue box, probably - what if said somebody could take a snapshot of her, say, every few million years?" He asked as the slides showed his and Lexi's photos almost like stop-motion as they revealed a young woman.

"You see?" Lexi questioned, pointing at the woman. "She isn't a ghost at all. However, she is definitely a lost soul.

"Her name? Hila Tacorian." Jupiter added, pointing at the woman's face. "She's a pioneer. A time traveller. Well, at least she will be in a few hundred years."

"Time travel's not possible." Alec shook his head. "The paradoxes–"

"Resolve themselves, by and large." The Doctor said, cutting him off.

Lucas tilted his head as he gazed at the woman's photograph. "So... How long has she been alone?"

"Well, time travel's a funny old thing. I mean, from her perspective, she crash landed..." The Doctor trailed off. "approximately three minutes ago."

"Crash landed?" Emma glanced at him. "Where?"

"She's in a pocket universe... a distorted echo of our own - they happen sometimes but never last for long." The Doctor explained before blowing up two balloons. "Our universe." He stated, holding out the balloon in his right hand. "Hila Tacorian's here," He held out the balloon in his left hand. "in a pocket universe. Emma, you're a lantern, shining across the dimensions, guiding her home." He told her, bringing the two balloons together before deflating them. "Back to the land of the living."

"But what's she running from?" Clara questioned.

"Well, that's the best bit." Lexi grinned, spinning around to face her. "We don't know yet."

The Doctor smiled. "Shall we see?" He then used his sonic to change the slide, Lucas uncrossing his arms as Emma's smile vanished while Alec peered over his glasses

Jupiter walked up in between her parents, the three of them looking stunned as they gaze at the slide, Clara's facial expression being much the same as theirs.

On the slide was some weird looking, distorted sort of creature.

"Okay..." Lucas started. "What the hell is that?"

"I... don't know." The Doctor replied softly before clapping his hands together. "Still, not to worry!"

"So, what do we do?" Emma asked him.

"Not 'we', you..." The Doctor corrected, going to Emma. "you save Hila Tacorian because you're Emma Grayling."

"And you, Miss Grayling," Jupiter began, giving the woman a kind smile. "are the lantern. And I'm afraid that the rest of us are just along for the ride."

"Now," The Doctor clapped his hands together again. "we need some sturdy rope and a blue crystal from Metebelis Three. Plus, some Kendal Mint Cake."

"What do we need that last one for?" Lexi questioned as she and Clara followed after the Doctor, Jupiter and Lucas following behind them.

 _Inside, House, Front hall_...

"Hang on." Jupiter whispered, quickly going and grabbing hold of the door the Doctor, Lexi and Clara has just walked through. Jupiter held up a hand to stop Lucas before putting a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet and listen.

"Don't do it." They suddenly heard Alec's voice from where he and Emma were in the parlor.

"I'm sorry?" Emma voice asked, confused.

Lucas smiled slightly, looking at Jupiter as they listened.

"Nobody asked her to risk her life. This woman. She doesn't deserve... Whoever she is - however brilliant, however brave, she's not you." Alec told Emma. "She's not worth risking a single hair on your head. Not to me!"

"Tell me what I'm thinking." She told him softly.

"I can't." He sighed. "I don't have your gift."

"You don't need it... just look at me and tell me." There was a few moment's pause before she spoke again. "There you are, you read my mind."

Jupiter smiled, shaking her head before opening the door wider and motioning for Lucas to quietly follow her out so they could go join everyone else in the TARDIS.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Can't you just... y'know?" Clara asked as she and Lexi stood up on the console level as the Doctor worked underneath.

"What?" The Doctor called up to them just as Jupiter and Lucas entered the TARDIS.

"Fly the TARDIS into the parallel universe?" She clarified, pushing off from where she and Lexi leaned against the console before going over to look over the side.

"Ah, it's not a parallel universe. It's a POCKET universe." The Doctor corrected. "Plus, it is collapsing." He stated, putting a crystal in his pocket before walking over and popping his head of from the underneath level to look at her and everyone else. "I mean, the TARDIS could get in there alright, but entropy would bleed her power sources, you see? Or in other words, she would be trapped there until the entire universe decayed back into the quantum foam. Which would take about three minutes, give or take, you know."

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

Wires were now going from the door through to the music room. They were hooked to a tripod, the top of it holding the large crystal-like object the Doctor had slipped into his pocket from the TARDIS.

"What is that?" Lucas questioned, pointing at it.

"A subset of the Eye of Harmony."

"I don't..."

"Of course you don't. Be weird if you did, I barely do myself." The Doctor told him quickly before looking too Emma. "Right, you, sit down." He told her before Lexi gently put a wire 'crown' over Emma's head, in the middle of which was a blue crystal. "This is all the way from Metebelis Three."

Around the perimeter of the room were a variety of clocks that were resting either on boxes or piles of books on chairs.

"What does it do?" Emma questioned, referring to the object Lexi had just placed on her head.

"It amplifies your natural abilities, like a microphone." Jupiter answered as she scanned the clocks with her sonic, the clocks then starting to tick.

"What exactly is this arrangement?" Alec asked.

"A psychochronograph." The Doctor replied just as Lexi and Clara began to help him and Jupiter into harnesses.

"I don't like this." Lexi whispered as she helped Jupiter adjust her harness.

"Well, either you or Dad needs to stay here." Jupiter stated, adjusting the straps on her shoulders. "And since he wants to go, at least one person needs to go with him. There really isn't another option, Mum."

"Still." Lexi shrugged. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Forgive me," Alec said, getting everyone's attention. "but isn't it all a bit, well... make-do and mend?"

"Non-psychic technology won't work where Jupiter and I are going." The Doctor answered as Clara helped fasten his harness, Lexi tying a rope on Jupiter's before connecting it to his so they wouldn't get separated. "All we need to do is dive into another dimension, find the traveller, help her escape the monster, get home before the entire dimension collapses and Bob's your uncle."

"See?" Jupiter rolled her eyes. "Simple."

"Will it hurt?" Emma asked, a bit concerned as to what the repercussions were going to be.

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "Well, yes. Probably. A bit. Well, quite a lot. I don't know. It might be agony. To be perfectly honest, I'll be interested to find out."

"That's great reassurance, Dad." Jupiter sighed, tightening her harness as the clocks continued ticking.

Emma glanced over at Alec, said man nodding at her before she looked back at the Doctor and Jupiter and took a few deep breaths.

Emma closed her eyes. "I'm talking to the lost soul that abides in this place. I'm speaking to Hila Tacorian."

The Doctor and Jupiter slowly picked up the ends of the ropes on the winches as some clocks began to go backwards while others sped forwards.

Emma breathed deeply before opening her eyes and looking straight ahead. There was an electronic whizzing just before she gasped as the spinning back dish reappeared on the other side of the room just before the glass shattered and a bright light appeared as well as a high wind.

"See?" The Doctor questioned, turning to look at Alec, Clara, Lexi and Lucas. "The Witch of the Well! It's a wormhole!" He and Jupiter then hooked ropes to their harnesses.

"A reality well!" Jupiter agreed. "A door to the echo universe!" She then looked to Emma. "Ready?!"

"READY!" She nodded.

The Doctor and Jupiter then turned back around, both of them sharing a look before looking at the wormhole.

The Doctor cracked his neck, shrugging as he and Jupiter got into a running stance.

"Geronimo!" He yelled before he and Jupiter ran and jumped through the wormhole, Lexi, Lucas, Clara, Emma and Alec not being able to do anything but watch.

 _Inside, Wormhole_...

"Ahhh!" Jupiter screamed as she and the Doctor clung to the ropes as they traveled/fell through the wormhole.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

The winches spun as the ropes were pulled.

"Doctor! Jupiter!" Lexi shouted, Lucas attempting to hold her back.

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

"Whoa!" The Doctor exclaimed as he and Jupiter landed, the two of them unbuckling their harnesses and taking them off before letting them drop to the ground.

The duo then ran off to look for Hila, the both of them skidding to a stop at the literal edge of the universe.

It looked like a giant floating island in a sea of stars as the wind howled around.

"Hila! Hila!" Jupiter shouted as she and the Doctor ran back into the woods. "Hila Tacorian!"

The two of them came to a sudden stop, just then being aware that something else was there with them. There was then a whooshing sound, the Doctor taking a couple of small steps as he and Jupiter heard a scampering sound.

Jupiter walked slowly to come stand next to the Doctor, looking about as she and the Doctor tried to find the source of the scampering sound.

"One... two..." The Doctor whispered, closing his eyes. "...three!"

"Help me! Help!" Someone shouted, making the Doctor and Jupiter turn quickly and almost run into the woman who was presumed to be Hila as she ran out of the fog.

"Ah, you're Hila Tacorian, I presume." Jupiter greeted, grabbing her hand before they and the Doctor started to run again.

"Who are you?" Hila asked, confused as they ran through the woods.

"Collapsing universe. You and me, Jupiter, dead, two minutes." The Doctor said as he ran past her and Jupiter. "No time, complete sentences - abandon planet!"

"But, wait!" Hila told them. "There's something in the mist."

"Then run! Run!" Jupiter tugged her along, running to catch up with the Doctor.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

Lexi bit her lip nervously as she and everyone else watched the wormhole.

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

"Doctor! Jupiter! Come home!" Emma's voice shouted from off in the distance as the Doctor, Jupiter and Hila continued to run. "Doctor, Jupiter, come home!"

"Not that way." The Doctor said, before turning back and keeping running. "Which means... probably..."

"What's wrong?" Hila asked as she and Jupiter ran after him.

"You know that exit we mentioned?" The Doctor called back to her.

"Yes?"

"We seem to have misplaced it."

The three of them then came to a stop as they heard scampering sounds. They all backed up against each other and turned, frightened.

"Doctor! Jupiter!" Emma's voice called out again from off in the distance.

Jupiter glanced in the direction from which Emma's voice came. "That way!"

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

Emma reached a hand out towards the wormhole. "Doctor, Jupiter... come home!"

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

"Doctor, Jupiter, we're here!" Emma's voice shouted just as something started to appear in the mist ahead of them.

"Whoa!" The Doctor held up a hand, him, Jupiter and Hila stopping to see that Caliburn House was now in front of them.

"What's that?" Hila asked.

"An echo house, in an echo universe." Jupiter stated, not being able to stop the smile from spreading across her face. "Clever psychic. That is absolutely brilliant."

The Doctor couldn't help but smile before he, Jupiter and Hila all ran for the house. None of them noticing, that as they got closer to the house, the creature was following them.

 _Inside, House, Front hall, Pocket universe_...

The Doctor, Jupiter and Hila entered the house, slamming the doors shut behind them before the Doctor locked them.

Growling and snarling then came from the other side, making Jupiter put her ear up against the to listen. "It's looking for a way in..."

Suddenly, the beast rammed the door on the other side, causing Jupiter to jump back before she, the Doctor and Hila ran for the music room.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

"I'm not strong enough!" Emma cried as she tried to keep the wormhole open.

"Just a few more seconds!" Clara shouted, Emma screaming as Lexi and Lucas looked on nervously.

 _Inside, House, Statuary hall, Pocket universe_...

"Grab the rope, give it three tugs!" The Doctor told Hila as he helped Jupiter fasten her harness back on. "Quick as you like!"

"What about you?" Hila asked him as she put on the other harness.

"I'll be next."

"You sure?" Jupiter asked as she and Hila got ready to tug the ropes as directed.

"Yes, now go!" The Doctor insisted as he took off his bow tie.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

Everyone saw the ropes on the winches move, Alec and Lucas quickly going to crank the ropes as Lexi and Clara kept their eyes on the wormhole.

Alec and Lucas continued to work the winches just before Hila and Jupiter fell into the room with a cry.

 _Inside, House, Statuary hall, Pocket universe_...

The Doctor turned from having used his bow tie to fasten the door closed before heading for the wormhole, stopping when he heard a familiar thudding as the creature banged against the door.

"Ah. That's what that noise was... Lovely." He said before continuing towards the portal.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

With a gasp, Emma fell from the chair and to her knees, Alec quickly running over to her as the portal began to disappear.

"No!" Lexi shouted as Alec cradled Emma in his arms just before the portal completely disappeared.

 _Inside, House, Statuary hall, Pocket universe_...

Eyes wide at having just watched the portal disappear, the Doctor turned around slowly, knowing the creature was on the other side of the door.

The Doctor took one step...

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

...and found himself alone in the woods.

The house was gone.

The Doctor then heard the whooshing of the creature again and looked around nervously before kneeling down and carefully picking up his bow tie without taking his eyes off the trees.

"Oh, dear." He said quietly as he slowly stood back up. "Oh... dear." He then heard the whooshing and looked around again. "Where are you?"

The Doctor then heard the noise of the creature again before dashing in the opposite direction.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

"Wake up!" Clara exclaimed, rushing over to Emma and Alec as Lexi stood, frozen as she stared at the place where the portal once was. "WAKE UP!" Clara shouted, kneeling beside Emma. "Open the thing!"

"I'm sorry." Emma sobbed into Alec's chest.

"Don't be sorry." Alec told her, stroking her hair. "Don't be. What you did–"

"Wasn't enough." Clara cut him off. "She needs to do it again."

"She can't. Look at her!"

"She HAS to!" Clara stared at Alec, who in turn looked at a tired Emma, no one doing anything.

"Okay." Lexi finally spoke up, turning around to face everyone. "Emma, I know it had to have hurt, but you are the only one who can open that portal." She stated as she walked past Lucas, Jupiter and Hila as she went over to kneel in front of Emma. "We can't leave the Doctor in that universe. It is going to collapse. So, I'm going to need you to try very hard to get that portal back open." She said before standing back up.

"You have an idea don't you?" Clara asked, getting to her feet again.

"Yep." Lexi nodded.

"Well, come on then!" Clara exclaimed, grabbing Lexi's hand before running from the room; Lucas and Jupiter sharing a look before following after them.

Alec watched them leave before turning his head back and holding Emma's head between his hands. "I know you feel that you can't do this, Emma, but... look at that woman over there." He nodded over at Hila. "You saved her. She's only here because of your strength... and so am I."


	30. Hide: Part 4 - FINAL

_Outside, House, Night_...

Clara ran out to the TARDIS ahead of Lexi, eagerly pulling on the handles to open the door.

"Oh, come ON!" She sighed in frustration as the door wouldn't open. "Let us in, you grumpy old cow!"

There was then an electronic buzzing, making Clara and Lexi turn around as Lucas and Jupiter came out to meet them just in time to see a hologram of Clara standing there.

"Whoa!" Clara eyes widened as she looked at the copy of herself.

 _Inside, House, Music room_...

"I was as lost as her... but being with you... you give me a reason to be, Emma. You brought me back from the dead." Alec told Emma, helping her to stand as Hila got to her feet as well.

Emma then put the wire 'crown' back on before she, Alec and Hila all joined hands, Emma closing her eyes.

 _Outside, House_...

"What's this now?" Clara tilted her head as the image of herself flickered.

"The TARDIS Voice Visual Interface." The projection answered. "I'm programmed to select the image of a person you esteem. Of several billion such images in my databanks, this one best meets the criterion."

"Oh, you are a cow. I knew it!" Clara gasped. "Whatever." She schooled her head. "You have to help the Doctor."

"The Doctor is in the pocket universe."

"You can enter the pocket universe."

"The entropy would drain the energy from my heart. In four seconds, I'd be stranded. In ten, I'd be dead."

"Alright, this isn't a way to sweet talk the TARDIS into doing you a favor." Lexi spoke up, looking at the projection of Clara. "Idris, Sexy, sweet sweet Sexy, our Doctor needs our help. You are the only one who can get us to him even remotely safely. I know it's very dangerous for you and you shouldn't be asked to do this, but do you really wanna leave the Doctor in that pocket universe?"

After a moment. the projection sighed just before the sound of the doors opening was heard, making everyone turn towards the TARDIS.

"Thank you, old girl." Lexi grinned before rushing inside, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas following quickly behind her.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

"Doctor?" Emma asked aloud as she, Alec and Hila stood, holding hands as the crystal in the wire 'crown' glowed just before the dark dish reappeared and spun around. "Can you hear me? DOCTOR?!" She shouted just before the portal opened again. "Doctor? Can you hear me?"

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

The Doctor ran and stopped, getting his bearings before continuing on.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Whoo!" Lexi shouted as she and Jupiter worked the controls, Clara and Lucas clinging onto the railings for dear life as the TARDIS tumbled through the vortex.

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

"Doctor... Doctor, we're here. Come home!" Emma's voice called from off in the distance, the Doctor heading for the house as it appeared again.

"Emma?!" The Doctor shouted back, stopping when he heard the whooshing and snarling, making him spin around nervously. "What do you want? To frighten me, I suppose, eh? Because that's what you do. You hide..." He said just before hearing an eerie laughing. "You're the bogeyman under the bed. Seeking whom you may devour. Ah! Ah. You want me to be afraid? Then well done." He chuckled bitterly just as he heard a rattling. "I am the Doctor... and I am afraid."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Oh, oh!" Jupiter laughed as she and Lexi worked the controls, trying to keep themselves from falling over. "Come on, old girl, you got this!"

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

The Doctor looked around warily, not seeing the creature coming up behind him. But when the Doctor turned around at the noise... the creature wasn't there. "So why am I still here, huh?" He questioned, hearing the creature laughing. "Why not just... eat me? Huh? Come on. Because you still need me! Yeah, you need me to piggyback you across." He laughed. "To which I say... come on then, big boy... chase me."

The Doctor then ran as the creature chased after him, the Doctor himself making his way for the edge but not making it as the beast tackled him and knocked him to the ground.

"Ah!" The Doctor shouted as he laid underneath the best, getting his first good view of it. It looked like it was made of melted wax.

Just then, the TARDIS arrived in the sky, making the Doctor laugh as the TARDIS passed over him and the creature, knocking the creature backwards which then allowed the Doctor to get up.

Not missing the chance, the Doctor ran towards the TARDIS and grabbed hold of it as it passed.

 _Inside, House, Music room, Day_...

Emma screamed in agony as she fell to her knees, the TARDIS materializing as the Doctor leaned against it while he panted.

In front of the TARDIS, Emma gasped as Hila and Alec were on either side of her.

The Doctor then came around from the side of the TARDIS just as Lexi opened the door, the both of them exchanging a weak high-five before Lexi stepped out with Jupiter, Clara and Lucas following.

The Doctor then looked over and saw Emma, hurrying over before putting a hand on her to see that she was okay. He then straightened before looking outside the window as the sunlight streamed in, making him smile.

 _Inside, House, Front hall_...

Clara, Lucas and Jupiter all walked towards the front door, chatting with each other as the Doctor and Lexi followed.

"You two wanted a word?" Emma asked as she came up behind the Doctor and Lexi as they looked outside at Alec, Hila, Jupiter, Lucas and Clara.

"If that's okay with you." Lexi looked to her.

"That's fine." She nodded, looking back and forth at Lexi and the Doctor. "You two didn't come here for the ghost, did you?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head.

"You both came here for me."

"Yes." Lexi nodded in confirmation.

"Why?"

The Doctor crossed his arms. "We needed to ask you something."

"Then ask."

"Clara and Lucas..." Lexi began.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What are they?"

Emma smiled slightly. "They're people."

"Yes, but what kind of people?" Lexi enquired. "Specifically."

"They're perfectly ordinary people." Emma replied. "Very pretty and handsome... both are very clever... More scared than they let on."

The Doctor tilted his head slightly. "And that's it, is it?"

"Why? Is that not enough?"

 _Outside, House_...

Jupiter smiled slightly as she, Clara, Lucas and Hila watched Alec gently rest a hand on the TARDIS door, the TARDIS giving off a hum in greeting.

The Doctor, Lexi and Emma then came and joined them, Emma hugging Hila.

"Where will you go?" Emma asked as she pulled away from Hila.

"He can't take me home." Hila told her. "History says I went missing."

"But he can change history." Emma tilted her head.

"No, no, no, I can't, actually." The Doctor said quickly, coming to stand between the two women. "There are fixed points in time you see–"

"This coming from the man who survived his own death before." Lexi commented, pulling the Doctor away from them.

"I knew you were there..." Hila said as she looked at Emma. "I could feel you."

Emma nodded. "I know..."

"Have we...?"

"We can't have." Emma shook her head. "You haven't even been born yet."

The Doctor pulled away from Lexi slightly to step closer to Emma and Hila. "No, you can't have met but she can be your great- great-great-great-great-granddaughter." He said as Alec came and joined them, Lucas and Clara walking around them to come and stand next to Lexi and the Doctor. "Yours too, of course!" The Doctor smiled, nodding at Alec. "But you'd guessed that already, hadn't you?"

Lexi smirked slightly. "Judging by all the looks on their faces, I'd say not."

Alec's eyes widened a bit. "The paradoxes..."

"Resolve themselves, by and large." The Doctor told him. "That's why the psychic link was so powerful - blood calling to blood. Out of time. Not everything ends, eh?" He grinned, clapping Alec on the shoulder before he walked to the TARDIS. "Not love. Not always." He said as Lexi followed after him.

"Doctor, Glorious, what about, what about... us?" Alec asked as he followed after the Doctor and Lexi. "You know, Emma and me?"

"What about you?"

"Well, what's supposed to happen? I mean, what do we do now?" Alec asked as Emma came to stand beside him.

Lexi smiled, looking back and forth between the two before grabbing their hands and placing them within each other's.

"Hold hands because that's what you're meant to do." Lexi told them before grabbing the Doctor's hand herself. "Keep doing that and don't ever let go. That's the secret."

The Doctor smiled, gripping onto Lexi's hand a bit tighter before the two of them turned around and headed for the TARDIS. But, as they did, the Doctor stopped abruptly which made Lexi stumble back as he still had a grip on her hand.

The Doctor himself, however, stared off into space as he started remembering when he, Lexi and Clara were looking for the ghost.

" _Doctor? Glorious?_ " Clara's voice ran through his head

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, House, Music room, Night_...

Clara breathed in nervously. "I'm not happy."

 _Inside, House, Hall_...

The Doctor realized that as he and Cara had left a particular hall to go to the kitchen, Lexi had paused for moment as she glanced behind her before facing forward once more, shrugging and continuing on. Completely missing a snarling creature as it scraped across the floor in the shadows.

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

"Yeah, you need me to piggyback you across." The Doctor laughed as he looked around the dark and eerie woods.

 _Inside, House, Hall_...

"I'm not holding your hand." Lexi said, eyes wide as she held out both her hands to hold them in front of her.

The Doctor, Lexi and Clara then slowly turned around to look behind them and, in a flash of lightening, saw the outline of something which made them scream before quickly turning back around and running away.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Outside, House, Day_...

"Doctor... I know that face." Lexi said, eyeing her husband. "Has your brain done a thing and caught up with the rest of what's actually happening?"

"I'm so... slow!" The Doctor smacked his forehead before turning back around and tugging Lexi along with him. "I am slow, I'm notorious for it, that's always been my problem, but I get there in the end. Oh, yes."

Jupiter raised an eyebrow as she stood between Clara and Lucas. "Dad?"

"How do sharks make babies?" He asked, seemingly ignoring her questioning stare.

Clara tilted her head at him in confusion. "Carefully?"

"No, no, no - happily!" He grinned.

"You know sharks don't actually smile, right?" Lucas questioned, crossing his arms. "I mean, they've got lots of teeth and are pretty hell bent on eating as much as they can."

"Exactly!" The Doctor snapped his fingers. "But birds do it. So do bees. Even educated fleas do it. After all, every lonely monster needs a companion."

Still holding tight onto Lexi's hand, he tugged her along behind him to where they could see into the house.

"There's two of them?" Lexi tilted her head as they looked up to a window, seeing the creature.

"It's the oldest story in the universe - this one, or any other. Boy and girl fall in love, get separated by events - war, politics, accidents in time. She's thrown out of the hex," He explained, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders. "or he's thrown into it. Since then, they've been yearning for each other across time and space - across dimensions - this isn't a ghost story, it's a... love story!"

"You know, I can think of a love story that I really like." Lexi stated, turning her head to grin at her husband.

"And which one would that be?" He enquired, turning his head and smiling at her.

"Oh, I think you know." She smirked, pecking him on the lips.

He gave her a small smiled, squeezing her shoulder before turning around and leading the two of them back to everyone else. "Excuse me! Excuse me! Sorry to interrupt the rest of your life." He said before looking to Emma. "So... tiny favour to ask."

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

The Doctor landed and took off the harness before he began running through the woods.

"I'm sorry! I understand now!" He exclaimed. "I can take you to her! I can take you to a safe place far away from here! You can be together! Well, come on then! She's WAITING!"

He then came to an abrupt halt, hearing the snarling before turning around with a smile.

The creature itself had a long twisted neck and the face was somewhat distorted, almost like it was decomposing.

"Well, hello again, you old Romeo, you!" The Doctor smiled just before hearing the TARDIS. "Now... here she comes."

 _Inside, TARDIS_...

"Ha-ha! Whoo!" Lexi laughed as she, Jupiter, Lucas and Clara clung to the console while the TARDIS tumbled through the vortex.

 _Outside, Woods, Pocket universe_...

The Doctor grinned, him and the creature watching as the TARDIS broke back into the pocket universe.

"Get ready to jump!"

* * *

 **A/N: I hope that was okay!**

 **I've got a tiny bit of a migraine today, so I'm not feeling the greatest. I worked on finishing this episode since I'm bored while lying in bed and talking to my Amazon Echo that my Mom got me for Christmas. ️**

 **Anyway, a filler chapter is coming up next. I'll try to work on that so I can get it published as soon as possible.**

 **So...**

 **Until next time!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	31. A Mother's Concern

**A/N: Hey there!**

 **I thought that this little filler chapter would be nice to do. Also, I kinda just wanted some mother and son fluff between Lexi and Sky. ️**

 **Anyway...**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Kitchen_...

Walking into the TARDIS kitchen, Lexi furrowed her brows when she saw her son sitting there.

"What are you doing here, Sky?" Lexi questioned as she walked over to stand across from him at the kitchen island. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you. I just wasn't expecting you back this soon."

"No reason." Sky shrugged, not looking at his mother as he took a sip of tea from the mug in his hand.

Lexi quirked an eyebrow. "Now why don't I believe that."

Sky let out an amused huff. "Because you're my mother and can see right through me."

"Exactly." She gave him a small smile before turning around to the kettle on the stove so she could go about making herself her own mug of tea. "So, are you going to tell me what's on your mind?"

"Is anyone else here?" He questioned.

"Well, Clara and Lucas are at home. Your father's in the console room tinkering away as usual. And Jupiter's in the library." She answered. "Why?"

"I, uh, I'm not exactly sure how to put it into the right words," Sky began as he lightly tapped his fingers against the side of his mug of tea. "but I've sorta just come from Demons Run... And I think it got to me more than I let on."

Lexi paused stirring sugar into her tea, tensing a bit at the reminder of that day. She took in a breath, closing her eyes as she thought back to the day that was somewhere around a little over twenty-seven years in her past.

Lexi just shook her head slightly, finishing stirring the sugar into her tea before turning back around to face her son. "Is there something you'd like to get off your chest? You know, talk about so it isn't just rattling around in your head?"

"I don't think it bothers me that much now. I mean, it still bothers me a little. No matter what. But, actually being there as it happened... it became so real." He explained. "More real than the story you and Dad told us growing up."

"I bet it was." Lexi replied, going around the kitchen island to sit on a stool next to Sky. "I mean, I lived it. Your father and sister lived it. And I mean, Jupiter did stay with me and your father for a while after it happened, so that has to be why she wasn't really upset when she got back before we went ghost hunting in 1974."

"Wait." Sky set his mug of tea down. "You went ghost hunting in 1974? Oh, that must've been cool."

Lexi shrugged. "If you consider cool to be finding a ghost that wasn't actually a ghost and just a time traveler from Earth's future that crash landed."

"Right..." Sky nodded slowly.

"Anyway," Lexi continued. "what seems to be the trouble, Sky. I don't like seeing you this... gloomy."

"I don't know." He sighed. "I guess seeing it all happen right there in front of me made me realize that what we do, what all of us do, affects everything for everyone in every part of our lives. Does that sound confusing?"

"To any normal person it would." Lexi giggled, setting her mug down before putting her hands over Sky's and giving them a comforting squeeze. "But, as you know, we're not normal people."

"Not by a long shot." Sky agreed with a chuckle.

"Come here, my Sunbeam." Lexi smiled, bringing her son in for a hug. "Demons Run was one of the darkest days of my life. It was one of the darker days of your father's life. It was a day that a mystery truly presented itself to me." She stated as she held onto Sky, not going into detail about what that mystery was. Besides, Sky kinda knew about it already just like Jupiter did. "Some very bad things happened that day, but something good did happen as well... that day was the day I got to find out that I was your mother... And that was the best thing that I could've happened. There really isn't much I can say to help to make the after affects of that day feel any better, and I'm sorry. It was painful, simple as that. However, just know that there are still good things that are left out there in the universe. And, maybe one day, one of those good things will make its way to you."

"Thank you, Mum." Sky whispered, tightening his hold on Lexi before pulling away and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled at him, putting her hand to his cheek. "You are very welcome, my son."

Sky smiled back at her before picking his mug of tea back up. "So, tell me more about this ghost that wasn't actually a ghost."

Lexi giggled, shaking her head as she picked her mug of tea back up as well. "Alright, so it was 1974..."

* * *

 **A/N: There ya go!**

 **I hope you enjoyed that. I just felt like writing a mother and son scene for some reason. ️**

 **Anyway, that's all for now. So, let me leave you with this: the next episode shall be... " _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_ "!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	32. I've Thought of Something

Hey, y'all! 😁

I'm currently working on " _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_ ", but I've just thought of something that I REALLY wanted to tell y'all about. *grins happily*

I've always thought about how I've never really given the Doctor and Lexi a proper ship name... I came to the conclusion that it's because I, in fact, never really gave it that much thought at all.

I mean, I know we could just call them "Smillan" since the 11th Doctor and Lexi 1.0 are portrayed by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. And true, we can call them that... BUT, I had a tiny bit of a breakthrough moment and thought of another ship name for them.

So, I hereby declare that Eleven and Lexi shall henceforth be known as..." **Gloronimo** "! 💕

I don't know why I never thought of it until now. I just started thinking about how Lexi gained the title "The Glorious" and how Eleven's catchphrase is "Geronimo" and BAM! Gloronimo was born! 😁❤️

I really wish I had thought of the ship name a bit sooner now that we don't have that much longer before Eleven and Lexi 1.0's/The 1st Glorious's time is up and we have to move on to Twelve and Lexi 2.0/The 2nd Glorious. (Btw, I've already thought of a ship name for Twelve and Lexi 2.0/The 2nd Glorious. I won't tell you what it is right now because it's going to be a combination of Peter Capaldi's last name and the actress's last name that's going to be portraying Lexi 2.0/The 2nd Glorious.)

Anyway, bottom line is that Eleven and Lexi's ship name is **_Gloronimo_**. 😍

I guess that's all I have to say right now. I just really wanted to tell you guys that. Hopefully it won't take me too much longer to get " _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_ " finished. Who's excited for that?! 😉

But until then, I bid you a fond farewell curtesy of Gloronimo! 💕

Until next time! 😘

💋 _**Love always,**_

 _ **~Maddy**_


	33. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS: 1

**A/N: Hello!**

 **I do hope that all of you enjoyed " _Hide_ ". However, now it is time for another episode!**

 **And, here are our guest stars for said episode.**

~o0o~

 **Guest Starring**

 _Emma Stone_ as Jupiter Pond

AND

 _Richard Madden_ as Skyler "Sky" Pond

~o0o~

 **I know we all know who these two are, but I still like introducing them whenever they're in an episode.**

 **P.S. ~ Is it just me, or does 11 look REALLY good not wearing his coat and just his waistcoat with his shirt sleeves rolled up?**

 **So... moving on!**

 **This episode ended up being more fun for me to write than I originally thought. I actually quite enjoy this episode whenever I watch it. I love getting to see more of the TARDIS than we usually get to see.**

 **Anyway, in this episode we get a team of three that get ejected from the TARDIS and a team of three that get thrown somewhere else that's deeper within the seemingly infinite spaceship/time machine. We also get a few subtle shoutouts to some characters and moments that have long past for the Doctor and Lexi. ️**

 **Now, without further ado, I gladly present to you... " _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_ "!**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Inside, Ship, Living quarters_...

A computer screen was scanning as brothers Gregor Van Baalen and Bram Van Baalen slept on bunks. while a third man, Tricky, was sitting at a table as he polished some equipment. Said man had a barcode on his throat, his eyes zooming in on his task like a computer.

"Incoming salvage, please validate. Incoming salvage, please validate." The computer system announced, beeping. "Incoming salvage, please validate. Incoming salvage, please validate."

Being woken up because of the computer's announcement, Bram stood and walked to the screen as Tricky did the same. The screen read 'Zero Salvage Value'.

"Rusty garbage." Bram said, waving it off. "It's not worth lacing up my boots."

"Wasting our time." Tricky stated. "There's no salvage this far out."

"You're a lucky boy, Tricky." Bram told him. "You're an android - you don't get bored."

Tricky glanced back at where Gregor was sleeping. "He won't turn back. Not with half a cargo."

"He's not captain." Bram reminded. "We're equal partners."

"Yeah, right." Tricky rolled his eyes before taking a sip of his drink.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"You said–"

"I know what I said." Clara snapped, arms crossed as she and the Doctor walked around the console while Lucas, Jupiter and Sky watched with amused smiles. "I was the one who said it."

"You said it was looking at you funny!"

"I was tired. Overwrought. I didn't mean it. It's an appliance. It does a job."

"It's a pretty cool appliance." The Doctor told her, tapping the console. "We're not talking cheese grater here."

"You're not getting me to talk to your ship." Clara shook her head. "That's properly bonkers."

"No hard feelings meant, Idris. Don't pay them any mind." Lexi smiled, patting the time rotor as the TARDIS whirred at her.

Clara rolled her eyes, looking over to Sky, Lucas and Jupiter. "Does he remind any of you of one of those guys who can't go out with a girl unless his mother approves?"

"Obviously his mother did." Sky chuckled, pointing over at Lexi. "Otherwise Jupiter and I wouldn't be here."

Lexi giggled as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"It's important to me you get along." The Doctor explained. "I could leave you two alone together."

"Now you're creeping me out." Clara responded, making a face.

"Why not have her take the wheel, Dad?" Jupiter suggested.

"Good idea!" The Doctor snapped his fingers at her. "Wait, you know what? Not the wheel. I'll make it easy and shut it down to basic mode for you."

"Basic?" Clara tilted her head while looking at him incredulously as she leaned against the console next to him. "Because I'm a girl?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head before turning a key

"Are you ever gonna teach me how to fly?" Lucas questioned, looking to Lexi.

"Do you want me to?" She asked, smiling as she came and leaned against the railing next to him.

"I wouldn't mind it." He smiled back as he ran his hand along the edge of a control panel, the TARDIS letting out what could be perceived as a sort of purring noise. "She is a pretty cool ship."

 _Inside, Ship, Living quarters_...

The TARDIS appeared on the computer screen as Gregor woke up before then walking over to Bram and Tricky.

"Everyone suit up." Gregor instructed. "It's good salvage. I can smell it."

"It's just trash." Bram tried to tell him.

"No, look." Tricky said, pointing at the screen. "There's something tasty in the magno-field."

Gregor squinted, leaning forward and pressing a spot on the screen.

"Magno-grab ready." The computer announced. "Engaging."

"Move yourself." Gregor told them before they all went to their lockers and put on heavy duty boots and cover-alls, Gregor taking a device from the shelf of a locker and pressing the button on top.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"So... Where do I start?" Clara questioned, gesturing at the controls of the console.

"Right there." Lexi pointed to a lever as she walked past her and the Doctor on her way over to where Jupiter was standing.

Clara smiled, enjoying that she was actually learning how to fly the TARDIS.

And as soon as she flipped the lever Lexi had pointed at, the TARDIS went dark and the power shut down which made everyone freeze.

Clara blinked, pulling her hand away from the lever. "What have I done?" She asked as the lights started flashing red.

"Er..." The Doctor tried to come up with words as he looked to Lexi, the two of them sharing a look. "Okay."

Lexi quickly came up to one of the monitors, Jupiter and Sky crowding around her so they could try and see.

"Okay... Bad. Very not good." Lexi breathed out as the screen started cracking.

"Glorious?" Lucas asked, looking back and forth between Lexi and the Doctor. "Doctor?"

"All the electrical impulses are jammed. I can't get the shields back up." The Doctor said, grunting as he pushed on a lever, Sky going over to try and help. "The TARDIS is completely vulnerable."

Clara held her hands up. "I swear I just touched it."

"We know you did, Clara." Lexi said as she moved around to the other side of the console, flipping a few switches. "This wasn't you."

The Doctor and Sky soon succeeded in moving the lever. However, sparks began to fly as the TARDIS lurched, throwing everyone backwards.

"Magnetic hobble-field!" The Doctor shouted as he made his way back to the console, shielding his face as he tried to work on controls. "We're flying right into it!"

"Everyone, stay by the Doctor!" Lexi pointed before everyone slowly tried moving in that direction as more things started exploding.

"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this!" Clara begged.

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor nodded. "Big friendly button!"

"You're lying!" Lucas shouted, wincing as he heard a popping sound.

"Yep! Rule One!" Lexi agreed, jumping as something exploded by her.

"Is it to stop us freaking out?" Clara asked.

"Is it working?" The Doctor asked her.

"Not so much!"

Lucas then looked down, seeing a grenade-like device rolling across the floor. Frowning slightly, he bent down to pick it up, only to gasp and drop it when it burned his hand.

"Lucas?" Jupiter asked, going over to check on him.

However, another and much larger explosion stopped Jupiter from moving any further than a step ahead of where she had been.

Jupiter barely even saw Lucas be thrown towards the Doctor and Sky as she herself, Lexi and Clara were all tossed somewhere else, everyone's vision going black.


	34. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS: 2

_Inside, Ship, Viewing room_...

"What is it, some kind of escape pod?" Tricky asked as he, Gregor and Bram watched the TARDIS while it was being brought into their salvage ship by a series of pincers.

"Come on." Gregor said, motioning for Tricky and Bram to follow him out of the room.

 _Inside, Ship, Hold_...

The TARDIS was now lying on an angle atop a pile of wires and other pieces of salvage.

Bram was holding a large sledgehammer while Gregor seemed to have some type of saw.

"Crack it open." Gregor ordered Bram, said man climbing up to the TARDIS and stomping on the door before then moving on to the sledgehammer. When that didn't work, he used the laser.

Bram glanced back at Gregor. "It's doing nothing."

"Use the thermo-charge and blast it." Gregor told him, tossing a grenade-like device at him, Bram then using it on the TARDIS.

"No! No! No! Wait..." Tricky exclaimed, running over to the TARDIS, putting a hand on it. "It's like she's alive. She's... she's suffering. I can feel it. I can feel it."

Gregor rolled his eyes. "That's just robot-rant."

"No, Gregor, he's right." Bram chimed in. "Looks like there's a broken fuel line."

"Alright. Alright, put it back. No salvage today, boys." Gregor conceded. "Open the bay doors."

Bram and Tricky then scrambled back down to the floor beside Gregor.

"Wait!" Tricky held up a hand as he spotted something before walking toward the pile of wires and waving the others over. His eyes zoomed in on three pairs of legs sticking out. "People are under that thing." He said. "The crew were still on board when we dragged her in."

"We did nothing." Gregor said as he ushered them away from the pile of wires. "If anyone asks, that ship was already busted. You got that?" He then looked to Tricky. "And you, make sure you keep your oily-mouth shut."

"It's rude to whisper." The Doctor whispered, having sneaked up behind them. "Hi. I'm the Doctor." He introduced himself, shaking Bram's hand. "And you are..." He squinted, reading the men's name-tags. "Van Baalen and... Van Baalen. Van Baalen and Van Baalen... That's going to get confusing later."

The Doctor then glanced back to see Sky helping Lucas up, both men looking pretty rattled given that they all had just been jostled about.

"They're Sky and Lucas." The Doctor pointed at them as they started making their way over before then turning back to face Gregor, Bram and Tricky.

Gregor looked around at the three men that stood before him. "We found you drifting..."

Bram nodded. "Yeah... your ship was junked-up pretty bad."

"What broke my ship was a magno-grab." The Doctor whispered to them, giving them a thin smile before holding up a remote-like device. "Found this remote in your pocket." He smiled internally at seeing them blanch. "Eh? What are the chances? Outlawed in most galaxies. This little beastie can disable whole vessels unless you have shield oscillators... Which I turned off so that Clara could fly-" His eyes widened as he glanced back at Sky and Lucas. Three people: Himself, Sky and Lucas. "Damn it!" He looked around. "Lex, known as the Glorious. Jupiter, me and the Glorious's daughter. And Clara... Where are they?" He questioned, turning back to Gregor, Bram and Tricky. "Three girls. One's about 5'11", red-headed and sassy. One's about 5'2", brunette and stubborn. And the other one's about 5'6", red-headed and kind but with an occasion temper." He then looked back at the TARDIS as Sky and Lucas did the same. "They're still on board..."

Sky and Lucas's eyes widened before they and the Doctor all started to run for the TARDIS.

"No, wait!" Tricky exclaimed, stopping them. "Your pod is leaking fuel. If they're still in there, they're dead."

The trio turned back around, the Doctor spotting some respirators in the lockers back against the wall.

"Ah. Respirators." The Doctor sighed in relief before heading for the lockers and grabbing a couple of respirators and tossing them Sky and Lucas before grabbing one for himself.

"We can open the doors for a split second, reach in and grab them." Gregor suggested.

"Yeah, we can't." Sky scoffed as he, the Doctor and Lucas began heading back to the TARDIS. "Now, please, help us get them out."

"I'm telling you, they fried..." Tricky shook his head.

"Shut it, tin-mouth!" Gregor ordered before looking to the Doctor, said man standing in between Lucas and Sky. "What sort of fee are we talking?"

"If you help us get them out, you get the machine." The Doctor said as he walked a bit more towards the TARDIS. "All the scrap, eh?"

"It's not worth the risk." Bram shook his head. "Four feet of metal? Nah."

"What if I can guarantee you the best haul you've ever had?"

Gregor frowned. "Bram, open the bay doors."

"But they're in there!" Lucas insisted.

"No, no, please, stop!" The Doctor held up a hand. "Listen, listen. Right behind those doors is the salvage of a lifetime."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"Mm." Lexi stirred awake, wincing at the pain she felt in her head.

"Must've hit it pretty hard." She thought before looking around and seeing that the corridor she was in was littered with debris, said debris glowing red under the emergency lights. Lexi then felt something move beside her and looked over to see Clara and Jupiter waking up, Jupiter having actually landed on top of Clara.

"Are you both okay?" Lexi asked as she propped herself up against the wall, trying to get her bearings.

"I think so." Jupiter sighed, getting off of Clara before wincing at a pain she felt in her left wrist which made her look to see that it was all swollen and purple. "Ooh... That's not good."

"Ooh, that looks nasty." Clara cringed slightly as she looked down at Jupiter's wrist.

"Let me see." Lexi said as she scooted over to them before gently taking hold of Jupiter's wrist. "I think it might be a sprain."

"Don't try and heal it." Jupiter quickly yanked her wrist away, wincing slightly at the pain the shot through her arm. "Don't want you using any regeneration energy that you have."

"Believe me, I won't." Lexi sighed. "Not after the reactions I got after healing River's wrist in New York when the Weeping Angels took over. And I'm just now realizing that you, Jupiter dear, haven't lived that yet... Damn it."

Clara just shook her head. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Yeah, best not." Lexi agreed before the three of them got to their feet.

"What the hell happened?" Jupiter sighed as she cradled her injured wrist, side-stepping one of the many live and sparking wires that hung from the ceiling.

"Something that was none of our faults." Was all that Lexi replied with just before the sound of the TARDIS's cloister bell could be heard ringing off in the distance.

"I'm guessing that, given the situation, we should stay together?" Clara stated, her question being more of a statement.

"Yep." Lexi nodded as the three of them cautiously walked down the corridor to a closed door with a red light flashing above it.

Jupiter tilted her head. "So... red flashing light usually means something bad and to get the hell out of here fast. Basically, whatever we do, we should definitely not open this door."

"Definitely not." Lexi agreed with a nod but didn't move away from the door as she pondered for a moment before shrugging and pressing the button to the right of the door.

Their eyes widened as the door opened just as an explosion happened.

"Bad idea, bad idea! Run!" Lexi exclaimed as she quickly turned around, making Jupiter and Clara do the same before they all ran down the corridor to escape the fire.

They then found themselves in another corridor that was clear of debris before ducking through another doorway, Lexi closing it behind them.

Clara tilted her head as she saw something that looked like two different series of long scratch marks on the wall. She put her hand up to one of them, quirking an eyebrow when the marks didn't line up with her fingers. They were a bit wider than that.

Clara then put her hand to the other series of scratch marks before her eyes widened slightly when those marks did line up with her fingers, Jupiter and Lexi sharing a look as they watched her.

 _Inside, Ship, Hold_...

Gregor, Bram and Tricky were all now putting on gear for going within the TARDIS.

"Hey, are we really going to risk it?" Bram asked Gregor as they walked away from the lockers. "That thing is spewing poison. We should blow it back into space."

"Get your gear." Is all Gregor told him.

"Hey! I don't take orders from my kid brother."

"Don't try and form sentences, alright? Stick to what you do best." Gregor tapped Bram on the cheek before walking away.

Bram just sighed before walking back to the lockers, past the Doctor, Sky and Lucas who had witnessed the exchange.

"I'm no expert on robotics, but, er..." Lucas started as they watched Tricky get his gear. "since when does an android need a blast suit and a respirator?"

"Flesh coating." Bram answered for him as he walked past Tricky. "Same as us. He'd burn up."

"No fear, no hate, no pain." Tricky nodded, putting the respirator over his nose and mouth before following after Bram.

Lucas quirked an eyebrow before glancing at the Doctor and Sky. All of them shared unsure looks before putting on their respirators and going over to the TARDIS, the Doctor going and standing on the ledge before inserting the key.

"'Salvage of a lifetime?'" Gregor questioned, trying to be sure.

"I feel pretty confident I can deliver on that. There we go." The Doctor said before kicking the door open, smoke billowing out.

Gregor, Bram and Tricky all then slipped on their goggles before switching on their torches.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor entered first, followed Sky, Lucas, Gregor, Bram and Tricky. And, even though the TARDIS was lying on its side, it was not reflected like that on the inside.

"I don't get it." Gregor looked around in confusion. "I thought she was lying on her side."

"The TARDIS is special." The Doctor informed them as he headed to the console. "She has her own gravity. I'd explain if I had some charts and a board pen."

Tricky looked around in awe at the vast expanse of the console room. "It's... it's bigger..."

"On the inside." The Doctor nodded. "Do you know, I get that a lot."

"Whoa. Awesome!" Bram exclaimed.

"Well put. Whoa and awesome." The Doctor said as he flicked a switch, making the smoke be pulled through the vents. "Safe to breathe." He said, everyone then removing their respirators.

"Okay. Now, the last thing I remember, they were all right here." Sky said out loud as he moved to where Lexi, Jupiter and Clara had been standing and scanned with his sonic, the orange light emitting from it. "Come on, guys, talk to us. Mum, Jupe, maybe try and signal Dad and I with your sonics. That would be a big help..."

"That would be a big help, actually." The Doctor agreed, flicking a couple of switches on the console as Lucas walked around to where he stood.

"How big is this baby?" Bram questioned, as he looked around the room.

"Picture the biggest ship you've ever seen." The Doctor said, glancing over at him. "Are you picturing it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now forget it because this ship is infinite." The Doctor responded before turning back to work on the controls, Sky joining him.

"It could take you hours to find the girls." Gregor pointed out.

"Days." Sky corrected, typing on the keyboard in front of the monitor.

"Plus this whole place is toxic." The Doctor added. "They could be dead by the time we reach them. So, here's the mission: We're going to find them in one hour."

Gregor quirked an eyebrow. "We?"

"You're our guys for this."

Gregor scowled. "That wasn't the deal."

The Doctor smirked. "'Tis now."

"What makes you think we'll help?"

The Doctor glanced over and nodded at his son, Sky then flipping two levers which made a countdown start on the screen.

"We've just activated the TARDIS self-destruct system." Sky grinned, looking over at Gregor, Bram and Tricky. "One hour until this ship blows."

Bram's eyes widened before he tried to make a run for the door, said door slamming shut in his face.

"Don't try to leave." The Doctor announced, Lucas eyeing him and Sky before smirking internally. Clever them. "The TARDIS is in lockdown. We'll open those doors when the Glorious, Jupiter and Clara are by our sides."

"You crazy lunatics!" Bram shouted.

The Doctor sharply to Bram. "My ship, my rules!"

"You'll kill us all." Gregor shook his head. "And the girls."

"They're going to die if you don't help us." The Doctor replied as Lucas walked over to stand beside him and Sky. "Don't get into a spaceship with a madman." He said as Gregor, Bram and Tricky ran to the door to try and force it open. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that?"

"Do you think a little gentle persuasion might be in order?" Lucas questioned, glancing at Sky.

"Good idea, Lucas." Sky said before flicking another switch on the console and pressing a button, making the countdown change to 30 minutes. "Say 30 minutes."

"They'll die even quicker now!" Bram exclaimed.

"We all perform better under pressure." Lucas shrugged.

"Does anybody want to go for 15 minutes?" The Doctor enquired before hovering his finger over the button.

"Whoa!" The three men exclaimed in unison, holding their hands up.

"It's your own time you're wasting." The Doctor informed them. "Salvage of a lifetime. You meant the ship. We, however, did not."

"What are you talking about?" Gregor asked them.

Lucas crossed his arms. "We meant my best friend."

"My sister." Sky said, flipping his sonic in the air before catching it in his hand.

The Doctor smirked, straightening his bow tie.

"And my wife."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"Does anyone have the feeling that we're being followed?" Clara whispered as she, Lexi and Jupiter made their way down a corridor.

Still cradling her injured wrist, Jupiter opened her mouth to respond but was cut off when the three of them heard a growling which made them all stop in their tracks.

The trio all shared a look before quickly ducking through a door they happened to be standing next to.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Storage room_...

Clara quickly closed the door behind them before turning around to see that they were now in some kind of storage room.

Jupiter smiled a little when she looked to her right and spotted the cradle that had been baby Melody's at Demons Run. She gently touched the mobile as she ran her along the edge of the cradle, Lexi smiling slightly as she watched her before turning to her left and spotting the toy TARDIS she and Amy had made as children. She grinned before going, picking it up and spinning it in the air before putting it back where she had found it.

"What's this?" Clara asked, making Lexi look over at her to see she was holding a Roman cloak.

Lexi smiled fondly, going over to her and taking the cloak from her before putting it around her own shoulders. She did a little twirl, holding the cloak tighter around her. "Oh, Roranicus..."

"Who?" Clara asked as she picked up a magnifying glass and an umbrella.

"No one." Lexi shook her head before taking the cloak from around her shoulders and hanging it back up just before more growling was heard, making her, Clara and Jupiter look over in that direction to see that they were not alone in the room. There were two shadowy figures with glowing red eyes.

"Quick! Quick!" Jupiter shouted as the three of them ran from the room.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

The Doctor, Sky and Lucas were leading the way, the Doctor and Sky scanning with their sonics.

"Report." Gregor spoke to his hand-held scanner as he lagged back a bit behind everyone else. "What's on board this thing?"

"Dynomorphic generators, conceptual geometer, beam synthesiser, orthogonal engine filters." The scanner told him.

"Guys, guys, look." Gregor said as he went and caught up with the others. "I think we should split up. It's our best chance of finding the girls. You know it is."

"Don't touch a thing." The Doctor told him as he checked his watch. "The TARDIS will get huffy if you mess."

"Keep in radio contact, alright?" Gregor said as he glanced at Tricky, said man nodding before leaving with the Doctor, Sky and Lucas. Gregor then turned to look at Bram. "Get back to the console. Strip it apart, alright?"

Bram nodded, Gregor clapping him on the arm before they split up.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Another corridor_...

"What the hell are those things?!" Clara exclaimed as she, Lexi and Jupiter ran through the corridor as they were being followed by the same creatures that had seen in the storage room.

Jupiter panted as they ran, glancing back while still cradling her injured left wrist. She could see more of the two creatures, seeing that they were actually ossified, one them having one of its hands stuck to its face. She quickly turned her head back to face in front her as they continued to run.

"Clara, we don't have time for that!" Lexi shouted back as the three of them continued to run from the two creatures. They soon passed the observatory with a large telescope before then passing the room with the swimming pool.

"Quick, in here!" Jupiter said as she pointed to a set of wooden double doors that were open, the three of them then running through.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Library_...

The trio all ducked behind a shelf that bore some small bottles before then looking in front of them only to just realize that they now were in the library.

Clara's eyes widened as she stood between Jupiter and Lexi. "Now that's just showing off."

Lexi smirked as she gazed at the large library that consisted of five ornate levels, the first level being her favorite part given that it had the little fireplace she liked to sit in front of while reading.

Jupiter grinned, glancing at Clara. "It is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Understatement." Clara said, stunned.

"Yeah, the library is probably my second favorite place on the TARDIS." Lexi chuckled as she walked further into the library.

"Second favorite?" Clara quirked an eyebrow as she and Jupiter followed after her. "What's your first?"

Lexi glanced back her and smirked. "The bedroom."

Clara gawked at her as Jupiter face-palmed.

"Not something I wanted to hear." She muttered.

Lexi grinned, shaking her as she looked back in front of her before continuing on. "If you fall in love one day, dearies, you'll understand."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Bram entered the console room, walking straight up to the console before trying to open one of the panels. He soon succeeded before setting it on the floor. He then walked around the console, examining it as he began to hear voices from the past flutter through the air.

~o0o~

" _I made up the name TARDIS from the initials._ " Susan's voice spoke. " _Time and Relative Dimension in Space._ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _Ah, Sky, what've you got there?_ " The current Doctor's (11's) voice questioned.

" _Found the kitchen._ " Sky's voice replied. " _Oranges are good. Bananas are good. Pears are good. But apples? Hate 'em._ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental._ " The 3rd Doctor's voice stated.

" _What does that mean?_ " Jo's voice asked.

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _You sexy thing!_ " The current Doctor's (11's) voice exclaimed excitedly.

" _See, you do call me that!_ " Idris's voice exclaimed happily. " _Is it my name?_ "

" _Hell yes it is!_ " Lexi's voice exclaimed while she laughed. " _Whoo!_ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _That's trans-dimensional engineering._ " The 4th Doctor's voice spoke. " _A key Time Lord discovery._ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _Alexis Giselle Pond, I. Love. You._ " The current Doctor's (11's) voice said softly as he told Lexi 'I love you' for the first time.

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door._ " The 9th Doctor's voice informed. " _Believe me, they've tried._ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _So, you're our..._ " Lexi's voice trailed as she and the Doctor stood in front of Sky and Jupiter after the whole incident at Demons Run.

" _Children?_ " Jupiter's voice offered. " _Yeah..._ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _It's just a box with that room crammed in!_ " Martha's voice exclaimed as Bram made his way to the level underneath the console.

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _We are in space!_ " Amy's voice exclaimed happily, Lexi's voice being heard as she laughed in the background.

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _So you gave her the journal?_ " The Doctor's voice questioned as he and everyone else entered the TARDIS after the adventure in 1938's Berlin.

" _A gift from me and Sky._ " Jupiter's voice answered.

~o0o~

" _It can move anywhere in time and space?_ " Ian's voice questioned incredulously.

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _I'd like to officially introduce you to Skyler and Jupiter Pond._ " Lexi's voice said as she and the Doctor (11) showed Amy and Rory the ultrasound video of Sky and Jupiter for the first time. " _You protected a lot more than just me when you broke my fall when we went down into the Asylum, Rory... Thank you._ "

~o0o~

~o0o~

" _You've changed the desktop theme, haven't you?_ " The 5th Doctor's voice asked.

~o0o~

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"Everything." Gregor's hand-held scanner said as he slowly walked through through a corridor.

"What?" He questioned as he came to a stop. "Report."

"Everything. Behind that door."

Gregor raised an eyebrow, turning to the door that he now stood by. "'Everything?'"

"Sensor detects everything you could possibly want." The scanner stated before Gregor pushed the button to the side of the door, making said door slide open.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Room_...

Gregor entered the room, seeing tendrils hanging from the center that looked to be made up of organic and metallic material. On some of them were glowing crystal-like orbs.

The whole thing almost looked like some weird type of tree.

"Everything." The hand-held scanner said as Gregor's eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

"I don't understand." Gregor said as he looked back down at the scanner. "Give me a price tag."

"Incalculable."

"What?"

"More valuable than the total sum of any currency. Living metal. Bespoke engineering." The scanner listed-off. "Whatever machine you require, this system will build it."

Gregor quickly put the hand-held scanner away, looking around carefully before edging his way towards one of the crystal-like orbs and putting his hands on it.

It immediately went dark.

Gregor then picked up his laser and began to cut away at the tendrils just as the Doctor, Sky, Lucas and Tricky ran in, making Gregor lowered the laser.

"No! No, no. Stop! Please! Don't! Don't touch it. Please." The Doctor begged him. "She won't let you touch it. I can feel a TARDIS tantrum coming on..."

"Oh, old girl, I'm sorry this is happening to you." Sky whispered as he stroked one of the crystal-like orbs.

"What the hell is this place?" Gregor asked, looking from Sky to the Doctor.

"Architectural Reconfiguration System." The Doctor answered as Lucas came over to stand next to him. "It reconstructs particles according to your needs."

"A machine that makes machines?"

"Yes. Basically."

Gregor quickly picked up the laser once again

Tricky tilted his head as he watched Gregor. "What are you doing?"

"I don't think I'd do that, mate." Lucas said uneasily as he eyed Gregor.

"No, don't! Don't!" The Doctor held his hands up. "If you walk out of here with that circuit, the TARDIS will try to stop you. Now listen to me. Look, the clock is ticking. We must find the Glorious, Jupiter and Clara."

He then reached out a hand slowly, but Gregor hastily yanked a crystal-like orb free which made all the other ones go dark for a moment before flickering back on.

Suddenly, a high-pitched whine caused the Doctor, Lucas, Sky and Tricky to cover their ears as Gregor quickly put the crystal-like orb into his pack before heading for the door... or where the door had been.

"What the...?" Tricky asked as he walked over to where the door had once been. "Where's the door gone?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Ever see a spaceship get ugly?"

"This isn't happening." Tricky said in denial as he tried to find a way out.

"She's not going to relinquish it." Sky stated, crossing his arms. "It's her basic genetic material."

"Torch it." Gregor said, tossing another grenade-like device at Tricky, said man catching it but hesitating. "I said torch it!"

"Can't you feel it, Gregor?" Tricky sighed, gesturing at the environment around them. "The ship's in torment, like it's a living thing. You can't hurt it."

Gregor just rolled his eyes, snatching the grenade-like device from Tricky and activating it before approaching the wall. However, the door quickly appeared and slid open.

"What's the matter, TARDIS? Scared to fight me?" Gregor smirked before striding out, Tricky following after him.

Sky growled, clenching his fist at his side. "Can I smack him? Please, can I smack him?"

The Doctor sighed from where he stood in between Sky and Lucas. "Regrettably, no."

The Doctor then just shook his head in frustration before walking out of the room, an angry Sky and a worried Lucas following behind him


	35. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS: 3

_Inside, TARDIS, Library_...

Lexi smiled in sadness as she spotted a book on a stand, the title of said book being 'The History of the Time War'.

"Oh, Doctor..." She sighed, as she lightly ran her fingertips over the words before turning when she heard the growling noises again, Clara and Jupiter rushing to be next to her before they all ducked behind a bookshelf as the two creatures entered the library.

The trio quietly made their way over to another row of shelves, trying to keep out of sight of the creatures. On one of the shelves above them were bottles that contained the Encyclopedia Gallifreya.

Lexi cautiously peeked out and saw the creatures getting closer, making her pull back and knock one of the bottles loose.

Jupiter looked up as she heard whispers from the spilled bottle her mother had accidentally knocked over above her head and quickly fanned them away with her hand that was attached to her uninjured wrist.

The two creature then began to come closer but then ran past where Jupiter, Lexi and Clara were hiding.

Not wasting the chance, Lexi quickly grabbed Jupiter's hand that was attached to her uninjured wrist before also grabbing Clara's hand, all three of them running back out of the library the way they had come in.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

The Doctor was now leading Sky, Lucas, Gregor and Tricky through the corridors, all of them soon ending up in the same intersection.

"It's the same." Tricky said as he looked around, seeing how they were in the same intersection of corridors they had just walked through. "It's just the same."

"It's diverting us, spinning a maze around us." The Doctor informed, looking to Gregor. "We will never reach the girls in time." He said, Gregor just glaring at him before taking the right corridor which made the Doctor rush after him. "Hey! Hey!"

Sky, Lucas and Tricky all shared a look before following after the two men and entering the same spot from the left.

"Seriously?" Lucas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Tricky glanced at Gregor and the Doctor. "It's just the same, again."

"No point in building walls." The Doctor told him. "You'll just know how to smash them down. It's found other ways of controlling you. Smart bunch, Time Lords. No dress sense, dreadful hats, but smart."

"Gregor, If you want to get out of here, let that circuit go." Sky just about growled. "It is creating a labyrinth."

"Bram? Bram?" Tricky asked, speaking into his communicator. "Can you hear me?"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Bram opened a section under the console to reveal a shaft with a ladder down one side as glowing wires ran down the center.

"Bram, the ship is alive. Get out of there." Tricky's voice came over Bram's communicator. "Bram, don't touch anything."

"You're just the sweetest thing ever." Bram grinned before entering the shaft, ignoring Tricky.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Lexi, Jupiter and Clara soon found themselves in the console room and smiled.

However, none of them knew that this did not look like the console room Bram was in given that this one's console panels were intact.

"Oh, thank you." Lexi sighed in relief. "Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Clara laughed as she and Jupiter ran up to the console, Clara giving it a kiss for good measure. "Ah! Mwah!"

Jupiter giggled at her before looking around, her eyes widening. "No door?" She quickly ran to where the door should have been. "Er... Where's the door gone?" She questioned turning back around to face her mother as she and Clara came around from the other side of the console. "I don't know if either you know, but there should be a set of doors right here where this concrete wall is!"

"Oh, Idris..." Lexi sighed, looking up to ceiling.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Under console room_...

"Bram?" Tricky's voice questioned through Bram's communicator, said man climbing down the ladder. "You've got to get out of there fast."

Bram's back then touched the wires, making him grunt in pain before falling to the floor below. However, he slowly stood back up and brushed himself off before looking up, only to see a creature in the corridor in front of him.

The creature quickly rushed towards Bram with a growl, knocking him to the floor and making him scream while he struggled before he soon fell silent and still as steam rose from the creature's body.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

Tricky listened for a moment, waiting for a response from Bram. as the Doctor and Sky pulled out their sonics and began to scan ahead.

"Channel's dead." Tricky said, looking to Gregor. "We've got to help him. Gregor, do something. Do something!"

"It's too late. He's gone!" Gregor told him, putting his hands on Tricky's shoulders. "Let's just worry about the salvage."

Tricky glared at Gregor before shoving him. "You care more about the circuit than you do about him!"

"Your concern for your brother is really touching. The android is more cut up about it than you." The Doctor said as he quickly pulled them apart. "Now will you two stop bickering and listen! There is something else down there..."

"We've got to get out of here!" Tricky exclaimed as the Doctor began scanning with his sonic again, Lucas leaning against the wall as he watched everyone. "Gregor, give it back. Give it back to her."

"What are you doing?" Gregor questioned, shoving Tricky's hand away at it reached out to his pack before pushing him against the wall. "You're always on the side of the machines!"

"We're facing actual mortal danger," Lucas chimed in, crossing his arms as he continued to lean against the wall. "and here we all are, standing still and waiting for whatever's on the TARDIS to kill us. Please, do stop squabbling."

"I agree, Lucas. That would be of tremendous help." The Doctor said as he backed up to where everyone stood. "Also, I am getting a massive signal."

Sky's eyes widened as he looked at the readings on his own sonic. "Oh no..."

Tricky looked back and forth between Sky and the Doctor. "Where are they?"

"Oh, none of you are going to like the answer." Sky responded as they all crowded next to each other. "About two steps away... One step."

The five men all slowly turned around and screamed as they saw the creature. It was a creature that seemed to be made of two separate creatures fused together. It then reached for them and growled.

"Gregor, look out! Careful! Gregor!" The Doctor shouted as Gregor ran down the hall opposite them. "No! We have to stay together. Come on. Sky, Lucas, Tricky, run!" He exclaimed, making Sky and Lucas share a look before running, Tricky following after them.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor told the two fused creatures before turning around and running after everyone.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"I don't think this is going to help." Lexi said as she, Jupiter and Clara made their way down a red-lit corridor until they found themselves in...

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

...the same console room as before.

Clara tilted her head, pointing at the entrance and then at the console. "What the hell...?"

"I think she wants us in here." Jupiter whispered.

"What do you mean?" Clara enquired, glancing at her.

"What my dear daughter means, Miss Oswald, is that the TARDIS is probably trying to protect us." Lexi said, walking over to them and putting an arm around Jupiter's shoulders as they looked at Clara.

"Protect us?"

"It's a thing she does." Jupiter explained. "If there's ever a problem, a particularly dangerous one, the TARDIS will move her corridors and rooms around so as not to harm her inhabitants."

"Exactly." Lexi nodded in agreement, taking her arm from around Jupiter's shoulders before walking up the stairs to the console. "And if you want to get her to like you, I suggest you just go ahead and let her protect you."

Clara bit her lip in thought before looking up to the console room ceiling, the TARDIS humming at her as best she could given the pain she was currently in.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Tricky, Lucas, Sky and the Doctor all entered the console room. However, it was not the one Bram was in and not the one Lexi, Jupiter and Clara were in either.

Tricky looked around. "Back where we started."

"No. It's an echo." The Doctor corrected before running up to the console. "The console room is the safest place on the ship." He explained, circling the console as Sky and Lucas came and joined him. "It can replicate itself any number of times."

"So, in other words, the TARDIS is trying to protect us." Lucas concluded

"Because I tried to give back the circuit?" Tricky questioned as he came up and joined them at the console.

"Team TARDIS." Sky grinned, patting Tricky on the face before he and the Doctor went about fiddling with the controls, the Doctor accidentally knocking a piece loose.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

Lexi jumped slightly when a piece fell from the console right next to where she stood, making her tilt her head in confusion.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

Tricky pointed at where he saw the piece disappear. "Where did... where did that go?"

"What do you mean?" Sky questioned, glancing at him before cursing silently as he dropped his sonic. He quickly tried to catch it, but his eyes widened when he saw it disappear. "What the hell...?"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

"Ow!" Jupiter exclaimed, wincing as Sky's sonic landed on top of her injured wrist.

Clara's eyes widened as she walked up next to Jupiter, gently picking up the sonic screwdriver. "Isn't this Sky's?"

"It's an echo." Lexi whispered in realization before laughing. "It's an echo!"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

The Doctor looked at where Sky's sonic had disappeared. "There's more than one echo room." He realized before walking around to the other side of the console and seeing three shadows move slightly as they stood next to each other. "Hey, look, look!" He exclaimed, pointing to the spot. "The TARDIS has got all three of them safe. That was them. That was them there." He said, kissing his fingers and pressing them against the time rotor. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Lucas crossed his arms. "Why can't we see them?"

"It's sort of like a light switch. Two positions. Flickering at super-infinite speeds." Sky explained as he walked around the console. "We're only together for a brief second."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

"This is really freaking me out." Clara said as she backed away slowly while Lexi got ready to drop Sky's sonic screwdriver.

"Come on, Clara. It'll be okay." Jupiter tried to tell her while watching Lexi experimentally drop Sky's sonic screwdriver, grinning as they saw it disappear.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

Lucas's eyes widened as Sky's sonic landed right in the palm of his left hand.

Sky quickly went over to him and took hold of his sonic again, grinning. "Thank you, Mum, Jupe and Clara."

"Shh!" The Doctor put a finger to his lips as he walked slowly around the console. "I can hear them."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

"This is weird. I don't like this." Clara shook her head and she backed away towards the stairs.

"Clara, don't!" Lexi quickly rushed away from the console dropping her own sonic in the process, it clanging against the edge of the console as it landed on top.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

As everyone stayed completely still and silent, it was like they could all hear heavy breathing and the sound of footsteps as they thudded against the floor.

Lucas tilted his head in concern. "Something's wrong..."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

Lexi tried to reach her, but wasn't fast enough before Clara opened the door only to find there were two creatures there.

Clara screamed, Lexi pulling her back before turning her around as they ran up to the console by Jupiter, said woman standing alert as she picked Lexi's sonic up off of the console while the two creatures ran into the room.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

"They've let them in! They've let them in!" The Doctor exclaimed, hearing the three women scream before he and Sky went about working the controls.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

"Both of you, get behind me." Lexi instructed as she, Jupiter and Clara tried to keep the console between themselves and the two creatures, the creatures seeming to mimic their movements.

"Mum, you're insane!" Jupiter objected.

"I'm trying to protect you two, now do it!" She ordered, Jupiter's eyes widened at hearing her mother actually raise her voice at her for the first time.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

"I think if we can just isolate their position, we can nudge the alternation." Sky suggested as he worked on the controls. "Maybe reach in and grab them."

"Will that actually work?" Lucas questioned, taking a step forward.

"Worth a shot." The Doctor agreed as he went about helping Sky work the controls.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

"What are they?" Clara asked as she and Jupiter stood behind Lexi, all of them staring at the two creatures who were just staring right back at them.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky_...

"Console room, echo imprint of the original." A computer voice said, making everyone turn around to see Gregor directly behind them with his hand-held scanner in hand.

"You're coming with me." Gregor pointed at the Doctor. "I need you to get me out of here."

"Not until I get my wife, our daughter and our friend back." The Doctor said, ignoring Gregor as he used his sonic on the hand-held scanner.

"Scanning for two female aliens and one female human." The scanner announced as it began scanning for Lexi, Jupiter and Clara.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

Lexi, Jupiter and Clara all screamed as the two creatures charged at them, the three of them then finding themselves backed against the wall where the external door should be.

"Don't you dare." Lexi growled as she stood in front of Jupiter and Clara protectively.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky and Gregor_...

"Scanning for two female aliens and one female human." The scanner announced as Gregor walked around with it.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With Lexi and Jupiter and Clara_...

"Anytime now, Doctor!" Lexi shouted, standing in front of Jupiter and Clara as the two creatures slowly approached them with steam rising from their hands.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room, With the Doctor and Sky and Lucas and Tricky and Gregor_...

Gregor continued to walk around with the scanner.

"Two unidentified aliens. One unidentified human."

"It doesn't know Time Lord and it doesn't know Lancashire." The Doctor said as he grabbed the scanner from Gregor.

Tricky raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It doesn't know Time Lord or Lancashire. Yes!" The Doctor grinned. "It's found all three of them! It's found them. They are right there." He said as Sky came up next to him before they both used their sonics, making an image of Lexi, Jupiter and Clara all pressed against the wall with Lexi standing protectively in front of Jupiter and Clara begin to come through, Lexi holding her sonic up as she tried to help strengthen the signal.

Clara was screaming. Jupiter looked frightened. And Lexi looked pretty scared herself as she tried to protect her daughter and Clara.

The Doctor and Sky quickly put their sonics into their pockets before they and Lucas pulled the three women free.

Lucas grabbed Clara's hand before pulling her to him and hugging her close as she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

Sky grabbed Jupiter's hand, making her wince as he pulled her in for a hug since he had grabbed the hand that was attached to her injured wrist. He saw her scrunch up her face in pain and looked down at her in concern as the Doctor grabbed Lexi's hand and pulled her to him.

"It's all right. You're okay." He whispered, stroking Lexi's hair. "My glorious Pond, I'm so, so sorry. Please, please forgive me..."

"It wasn't your fault." She whispered back before pulling away from him and looking at his face.

The Doctor smiled at her, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs before pulling her in for a kiss.

"I'm still sorry." He whispered as they pulled apart before he then turned to Jupiter. "C'mere, you."

Jupiter gave him a small smile, stepping away from Sky before being enveloped in her father's arms.

"I'm sorry, my Angel." He whispered, hugging her tight.

Lucas glanced at them and smiled, seeing the Doctor hugging Jupiter as Sky went over to hug Lexi. Lucas then turned his head back to look down at Clara who was still wrapped in his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." She nodded slightly as she pulled away from him before wrapping her arms around herself. "I mean, I enjoy a good horror film, but... that was a bit too real for my taste." She then looked over at Tricky and Gregor, Tricky giving a little wave. She then turned back to look up at Lucas. "Who are they?"

"Friends." The Doctor answered for him, frowning as he gently held Jupiter's injured wrist in his hand. He sighed before carefully letting go of it and turning back to look at everyone else. "Well, they're people who aren't trying to kill us."

"I'd consider that a good thing, dearie." Lexi chimed in with a smile as her son had his arm wrapped about her shoulders.

"Alright, alright, a deal's a deal." Gregor spoke up, getting their attention. "You got the girls back. Now cancel the self-destruct."

"Ah. Ah. You know," The Doctor chuckled, clapping a hand on Gregor's shoulder. "I've got to tell you, I won't be needing you in my quiz team."

Gregor blinked. "What?"

"There is no self-destruct, mate." Sky clarified, unwrapping his arm from his mother's shoulders. "And there never was. Had you going, though, didn't we?"

The Doctor laughed, pointing at Sky. "We just wiggled a few buttons. The old wiggly-buttons trick."

"And the faces." Lucas said, chuckling as he stepped away from Clara. "You can't forget about the faces, gentlemen. You know, the hours I've spent volunteering with the students in the drama department at school really just paid off."

"Ha! Yes!" The Doctor laughed, snapping and pointing at Lucas. "But you are right. You mustn't forget the faces. You've got to do the faces. 'Save them or we all die.' Sky and Lucas, you both were brilliant. I thought I might've rushed it a bit, but–"

"So you're telling us we're safe?" Tricky questioned, cutting him off.

"Ish." The Doctor corrected him. "Apart from the monsters and the TARDIS reinventing the architecture every five minutes."

"Seriously, though, guys, don't worry, the countdown's a fake." Sky told them. "Look, just give me a second. I'll turn it off." He then went to the console and flicked a few switches. "With Dad's go-ahead, I only made it look as though the engine was actually exploding." He confessed just before alarms started going off. "Ah... Uh, Dad, we may have a little problem." He said worriedly, making the Doctor come over and see that the screen read: Engine Overload. "Scratch that... big problem. A big and actual explode-y problem."

The Doctor cringed as he looked at the readings. "That's not good. But nobody panic... or maybe panic."

"Something you want to share with the rest of the class, Dad?" Jupiter asked as she crossed her arms, being mindful of her hurt wrist.

"It appears the engine is damaged." He replied. "We're all in trouble. Proper trouble. It needs fixing or we're all toast." He then ran for the lower level of the console room.

"What about that big friendly button, dear?" Lexi enquired as she and everyone else ran after the Doctor. "That'd be nice to have right about now, eh?"

"Yeah, sorry. Remind me to have one built in." He replied, as he used his sonic on one of the panels.

"Where are we going?" Lucas questioned as the panel the Doctor was working on fell inwards.

"Detour." He said as he kneeled in front of the panel. "The center of the TARDIS."


	36. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS: 4

_Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

The Doctor and Sky were now leading the way with their sonics down a green-lit corridor as Jupiter and Clara walked behind them, Jupiter still cradling her injured wrist as Gregor and Tricky followed them with Lexi and Lucas following at the back just before a couple of shadows passed the corridor in front of them.

"There are things in here with us." Clara whispered.

"Those things have followed us." Tricky agreed, looking around.

"Glorious, what are they?" Lucas questioned. "What aren't you and the Doctor telling us?"

Lexi sighed patting him on the arm as she took out her sonic again.

"Trust me, Lucas dear, there are some things you just don't want to know." She said before glancing behind her when she heard one of the creatures pass behind them. "They're on the move again..."

"Right, okay, everyone, run!" The Doctor exclaimed as they all ran away. "Move, move, move!"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Another corridor_...

Jupiter and Clara ran and stopped when they realized they'd lost the others.

"Dad?! Mum?!" Jupiter looked around. "Sky?!"

"Where've they gone?" Clara asked as they began retracing their steps. "Lucas?!" She then glanced at Jupiter. "Has this happened before?"

"Never." Jupiter shook her head as they continued on before stopping at an intersection, spinning around as they were unable to decide which way to go.

They then turned around only to see another Clara stride down the corridor in front of them.

"I know what I said. I was the one who said it."

"You said it was looking at you funny!" Another Doctor said as he followed after her.

Jupiter and Clara shared a look before both turning around to go the other way only to stop abruptly when they saw another Clara.

"Now you're creeping me out." That Clara said, Clara and Jupiter only being able to stare.

"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this!" Another Clara shouted.

Clara and Jupiter both backed away before heading down another corridor, gasping when they saw the Doctor and Sky.

"Oh, thank God. Doctor, Sky, what's going on?" Clara sighed in relief, waving her hand when they didn't acknowledge her. "Say something."

Jupiter tilted her head slightly. "Dad? Sky?. Wait... I think it's another echo."

Just then, the Doctor, Sky, Lexi and Lucas rushed up behind Clara and Jupiter.

"Don't touch them." The Doctor said quickly. "There's a rupture in time somewhere onboard the ship. A small tear in the fabric of the continuum."

"It must have happened when the TARDIS was pulled in by the salvage vessel." Sky agreed before taking his sister's hand that was attached to her uninjured wrist as the Doctor grabbed Clara's hand before they all ran away, Lucas and Lexi leading the way. "The TARDIS is leaking."

"Leaking what?" Lucas glanced back at the Doctor as the six of them ran along.

"The past." He answered. "The six of us. Everything we've all done, everything we've said. Recent history."

"Long story short, it's not real." Lexi chimed in. "it's just a memory."

The group of six stopped abruptly when they saw two creatures in front of them.

Clara leaned over to whispered the Doctor. "What about this one?"

"If you're giving me the option," He began. "I'd say, 'This one's real.'"

Lexi quickly pushed Lucas ahead of her as the Doctor did the same with Clara before they did the same with their own children as they all ran away with the two creatures chasing after them.

"She's right onto us." The Doctor said as they ran.

Lexi glanced back, looking to the other figure. "How could I do this to him? After all the other times..."

Clara and Lucas both stopped abruptly, making Jupiter and Sky almost run into them.

Clara looked back in the Doctor and Lexi's direction. "She?"

"And what do you mean by 'he'?" Lucas wondered, tilting his head.

"Yeah, let's not ask anymore." Sky quickly said as he and Jupiter ran past them, Sky grabbing Clara's hand to pull her along as Jupiter did the same with Lucas while the Doctor and Lexi followed after all of them before they all ducked into a small niche to the side of the corridor.

They tried pressing themselves against the wall behind a girder as best they could while the two creatures paused.

On the opposite side, a past Clara and a past Sky walked down the corridor.

"Does he remind any of you of one of those guys who can't go out with a girl unless his mother approves?" The past memory of Clara asked.

"Obviously his mother did." The past memory of Sky replied as he followed after the past memory of Clara. "Otherwise Jupiter and I wouldn't be here."

The two creatures quickly followed the past memories of Clara and Sky, letting the Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas step out from their hiding place just before they heard a groaning sound which made them look up to the ceiling.

"What's that noise?" Lucas questioned.

"I do believe that we're right under the primary fuel cells. Right, dear?" Lexi questioned, glancing at the Doctor as he continued to hold her hand.

"Yes." He nodded at her before looking to everyone else. "And unfortunately, the fuel has spilled out. Therefore, the rods will be exposed. That means that they will cool..."

"And start to warp." Sky concluded, closing his eyes.

"And start to warp." The Doctor nodded. "Maybe even..."

"Don't say it, Dad." Jupiter shook her head. "Don't you dare say it."

"Maybe even break apart."

Suddenly, a large rod shot down at an angle directly in between the Doctor and Lexi and Sky, Jupiter, Lucas and Clara.

Lexi's eyes widened before she and the Doctor quickly ducked under the rod.

"I suggest we run, now!" Lexi exclaimed as she and the Doctor pushed everyone ahead.

"No arguments here!" Lucas shouted back as they all ran down the corridor, ducking and dodging rods as they shot through the walls.

 _Inisde, TARDIS, Another corridor_...

Tricky groaned in pain, having been impaled through his shoulder by one of the rods.

"Cut it off." Tricky said as Gregor tried to pull it free. "Just cut my arm off."

"No!" Gregor objected immediately.

"It's the quickest way to release me. No fear, no hate, no pain." Tricky tried to tell him. "I can get a new one. Disposable parts, just do it. It won't hurt me."

Gregor shook his head. "Tricky, you don't understand."

"I'm an android. Cut me!" Tricky demented just as the Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas all arrived.

"You made it through." Clara sighed when she saw them.

"What's the matter with you?" Tricky questioned, frowning at Gregor as the Doctor and Lucas tried to help Gregor pull the rod free. "Why won't you cut me?"

Lucas looked to Gregor, letting go of the rod. "Tell him."

Tricky raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what?"

"You can't, can you?" The Doctor asked Gregor. "You're a coward. You won't save him, but you're scared to tell him why."

Tricky looked from the Doctor and Lucas to Tricky. "What're they going on about?"

"Remember the question I asked you on the salvage ship before we came into the TARDIS?" Lucas reminded him. "I said I wasn't an expert in robotics. But, I do know enough to figure out that a robot wouldn't need a blast suit."

"And they don't need respirators either." The Doctor added. "They don't get frightened of monsters in the dark."

Tricky glanced from them to Gregor. "What're they talking about?"

"Two bionic eyes and a synthetic voice box." The Doctor said, shining his sonic in Tricky's eyes before putting a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "But you, my friend, are human. Flesh and blood."

Tricky then looked back to Gregor, staring at him, hurt and lost.

"It was a joke... It was just a stupid joke." Gregor confessed. "We did it to relieve the boredom."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Oh, It was very funny." He said before looking to Tricky. "They lied to you and changed your identity just to provide some in-flight entertainment."

"I'm sorry." Gregor apologized. "You're human, Tricky."

"Cut the metal." The Doctor just shook his head. "Cut the metal! Go!" He clapped his hands before Gregor picked up the laser and started cutting the rod.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Another corridor_...

Lexi was now glaring at Gregor, said man trying to avoid her gaze as the Doctor lead them all down the corridor while Tricky staggered along at the back, his arm bandaged.

"Where are we?" Clara asked as the Doctor stopped at a door and looked through its round window.

"Power source." He answered. "Right, you lot, wait here. I'll check if it's safe. We can only survive for a minute or two in there."

Lucas tilted his head. "What'll happen if we stay longer?"

"Our cells will liquefy and our skin will start to burn." Sky spoke up as he walked up to the door, looking through the window.

"Oh, well, if that's all." Clara rolled her eyes as she went to stand next to Lucas.

"Right, Sky, keep this door shut." The Doctor instructed as he opened the door.

"Got it." He replied, nodding before watching as his father entered through the door, said door closing behind him.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Power room_...

The Doctor looked around, taking a few breaths as he tried to get his bearings in the heat-filled room.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

Lexi leaned against the wall diagonally across from Gregor as she continued to frown at the man, trying to pick out the right words that would express the feelings she was currently experiencing while Tricky leaned against the wall a little ways down from her.

Sky continued to stand at the door to the power room as Clara, Jupiter and Lucas all leaned against the wall a little ways down from Gregor.

Watching as Lexi continued to stare at him with a prominent glare on her face, Gregor held up his hand-held scanner and scanned her.

"Alien. Scottish. Angry."

"Intelligent sensor." Gregor commented, making Lexi roll her eyes.

"Ever pointed that thing at yourself, Gregor?" Tricky questioned, also angry. "What would it see if you did that? What sort of person does this to another human? Made them believe they're made of metal?!" He then went and grabbed Gregor by the arm and turned him around. "Who am I?"

Gregor just ripped the Van Baalen patch off his sleeve and handed it to Tricky, said man looking at it before walking off to the end of the hall.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Power room_...

The Doctor ran across the catwalk to the far door while he used his sonic and made the door unlock, the Doctor then tugging on it before it finally opened.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"My mouthy little kid brother." Gregor stated as he looked to Tricky.

"Why... why can't I remember?" Tricky asked as he turned back around.

"Salvage accident. There was a big explosion." GeForce answered. "You lost your sight, voice and your memory."

"And you... you thought of a way you could have some fun with me?" He questioned as he walked closer to Gregor. "I just wanted a brother beside me!"

"You were always the smart one, Tricky." Gregor told him. "He wanted you to take over. He made you captain."

Tricky squinted at him. "He?"

"Dad."

"I don't... remember him."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Power room_...

The Doctor looked up before then closing the door and running back across the catwalk.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"You did this to me, just to be captain of a heap of junk!" Tricky shouted before angrily charging his brother, but Lexi was quick to get between them and push them about.

"Both of you stop!" Lexi exclaimed, looking back and forth between them just as Sky let the Doctor back into the corridor. "Tricky, ask yourself why Gregor couldn't cut you up. He has just one tiny scrap of decency left in him, and you helped him find that. And Gregor, Lucas filled me in on everything when we all first came down here. If it weren't for you, the TARDIS wouldn't be in suffering and my daughter's wrist wouldn't be hurt. Sorry to break it to you, but I don't like you. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever. However, how I feel isn't important right now. You, Gregor Van Baalen, need to remember this. Because this, this is the day that your brother found out what you did to him. And this is the day that everyone found out what kind of a person you really are."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Power room_...

"Okay, move, move, move." The Doctor said as he held the door open for everyone.

Everyone stopped and looked up as the Doctor moved along the rail.

"The Eye of Harmony." The Doctor said, showing everyone what actually powered the TARDIS. "Exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole. Time Lord engineering. You rip the star from its orbit and suspend it in a permanent state of decay. This way." He said, grabbing Lexi's hand before motioning with his other arm to move the other along. "Quickly."

Tricky and Gregor followed after the Doctor and Lexi, Gregor helping his brother across given that his shoulder was injured. Sky and Jupiter followed after them, Sky trying to cover his sister's wrist from the heat of the room so it wouldn't become more irritated than it was already getting.

Lucas and Clara, however, didn't move as they stared at the Eye of Harmony a little longer while the Doctor opened the far door only to find a creature was waiting for them there. Lexi quickly helped him close the door before they ran back to the other side, Gregor opening the door only to slam it shut when they found two other creatures were there.

"There's no way out." Gregor said as he turned around to face everyone. "We're trapped."

The Doctor and Lexi shared a look before they both bolted for the other door, stopping abruptly when Clara and Lucas confronted them.

"You have to tell us now!" Lucas shouted to be heard over the blazing heat. "If we're gonna die in here, you're going to tell us what they are!"

"We can't!" Lexi shouted back.

"Tell us!" Clara insisted. "What's the use in secrets now?"

"Secrets protect us!" The Doctor tried to tell them. "Secrets make us safe!"

Lucas shook his head. "We're not safe!"

"Sensor detects animal DNAs, human core elements." Gregor's held-held scanner informed as he scanned the two creatures that were pounding on the door. "Calculating data. Calculating data."

Lexi's eyes widened when she heard the scanner before she and the Doctor ran over to Gregor, passing Sky and Jupiter as they did so. "No, no. Turn that off!"

"Lancashire and London." The scanner stated. "Identifiable substances. Clara and Lucas."

The Doctor and Lexi slowly turned to look at Clara and Lucas as Gregor and Tricky ran past Sky and Jupiter and back to the other door.

"That's us..." Clara said in shock as she and Lucas took a few steps towards the Doctor and Lexi.

"We are so, so sorry." The Doctor said earnestly.

Lucas looked through the window. "That's us... Clara and I burn in here."

The Doctor sighed. "It isn't just the past leaking out through the time rift. It's the future."

"Listen," Lexi began as she ran a hand down her face. "The Doctor and I brought you both here to keep you safe, but it happened again. You two died again."

Clara frowned. "What do you mean, again?"

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to say.

"Wait! I have a question!" Jupiter suddenly spoke up, walking over where she had stood by Sky. "I just thought of this. I know you say you can't change the future. But... if you interrupt the timeline, can't you stop something from happening?"

The Doctor slowly looked up and over at his daughter. "Jupiter, that... is brilliant!" He exclaimed, kissing the top of her head quickly before running to the other door and pushing Gregor and Tricky apart. "Don't touch each other, otherwise the future will reassert itself."

The Doctor then pulled them to the center of the catwalk as the fused creature pushed through the door before grabbing Gregor's pack.

"Gregor!" Lexi shouted as she ran up to where the Doctor and Tricky were standing. "Gregor, let go of the circuit!"

"Just let it go!" Tricky shouted in agreement. "Gregor!"

Not wanting to protest anymore, Gregor quickly slipped off his pack before backing away to where the others were. Tricky then took a swing at the double creature, making it fall over the rail.

They all then rushed towards the door but pulled away when the two more creatures appeared.

Everyone then ran towards the other door, but the other two creatures punched their hands through the window.

Wide eyed and unsure of how to move forward, everyone grouped in the middle of the catwalk.

"Alright, er, is anyone feeling a sense of mortal terror or is it just me?" Lucas questioned just as two more creatures ran in behind the two creatures that had already made their way into the room.

Thinking quickly, Tricky grabbed a crowbar that had fallen out of Gregor's pack and went about knocking the four creatures that had made their way into the room off the catwalk one by one. When there was only one creature left, he kicked it off the rail, making it fall. But he nearly fell off himself, but managed to grab and hold onto the ledge.

"Tricky!" Gregor shouted as he went to help his brother.

"Don't touch him, or time will reassert itself!" The Doctor shouted as he and everyone else watched Gregor help Tricky back onto the catwalk before the two of them soon became fused together and turned into the fused creature before coming after the Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Jupiter, Lucas and Clara.

The group of six quickly ran out the other door and closed it behind them.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Corridor_...

"The engine room." The Doctor said as he sonicked the lock on the door. "The heart of the TARDIS."

"Come on, then." Lexi grabbed the Doctor's hand, the two of them leading their children and their companions through another door.


	37. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS: 5-F

_Inside, TARDIS, Engine room_...

Everyone ran through the door before nearly falling off a cliff ledge.

"We're outside." Clara breathed, glancing around as they backed away a bit from the edge.

"No." The Doctor shook his head, letting go of Lexi's hand. "We're still in the TARDIS."

"And there's no way across." Jupiter chimed in, cautiously peaking over the edge, only seeing a white and misty abyss of nothingness.

"Unfortunately, Jupiter dear, that's right." Lexi agreed, putting her hands on her hips as she began to pace.

"So what do we do?" Lucas questioned, crossing his arms. "I mean, I do believe it's time for a plan. So... Does anyone actually have one?"

The Doctor looked around at everyone. He saw his wife pacing, their daughter curiously looking over the edge of the cliff while continuing to cradle her injured wrist that looked like it was bruising more and more by the minute. And Sky just kept looking back and forth between his mother and sister.

The Doctor just sighed before looking back to Lucas. "Sorry, but it does not seem that anyone has a plan."

"Well, we're all dead then." Clara said, frowning as she walked up beside Lucas.

"Yes, we are." The Doctor agreed as he looked at the two friends. "So just tell us."

Lucas quirked an eyebrow. "Tell you what?"

"Well, there's no point now. We are about to die." He told them. "So, just tell us who you are."

Clara tilted her head. "You know who we are."

"No, we don't!" Lexi suddenly shouted in frustration, making everyone turn to look at her. "The Doctor and I look at you both every single day, and we don't understand a single thing about you. Why do we keep running into you?"

"Glorious, you invited us." Lucas reminded her, frowning. "You said–"

"No, no, no. You don't get it. It was before that." Lexi shook her head. "Lucas, a while back I met you on a seventeenth century pirate ship. There was a man there who was the Quartermaster, and he sacrificed his own life to save me. And he was you..." She took a couple of steps forward. "Then a little bit later I met you at a military space station called Demons Run. There was a soldier there who fought alongside me and my brother-in-law to help protect his and my sister's baby. That soldier pushed me out of the way and took a shot from a laser blast that was meant for me. He died in my arms... And he was you." She laughed sadly, glancing down at her feet before looking back up at Lucas and Clara. "And then, oh and then... Lucas, Clara, the Doctor and I met you both in the Dalek Asylum. There was a man and woman in a shipwreck, and they died saving our lives... And they were you."

Lucas looked at her with wide eyes. "I really don't think they were..."

"But, see, there was Victorian London as well." The Doctor spoke up. "There was a governess and tutor who were actually a barmaid and bartender, and we all fought the Great Intelligence together, they died, and it was our fault... And they were you."

"You're really freaking us out." Clara gulped nervously.

"Then what are you two?!" Lexi glared as she advanced on them. "Are you tricks?! Are you traps?!"

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Lucas exclaimed as he and Clara backed away from Lexi and the Doctor, almost falling off the edge of the cliff.

Sky and Jupiter watched worriedly as their parents quickly grabbed their respective companion's hands and pulled them into hugs.

"Alright. Alight." The Doctor said, pulling away from Clara. "You really don't, do you?"

"You have absolutely no idea." Lexi said before a smile began to spread its way across her face as she let go of Lucas. "You really don't know..."

"I think we're more scared of you two right now than anything else on that TARDIS." Clara said, breathing hard.

"You're just Clara and Lucas, aren't you?" The Doctor chuckled, looking back and forth between the two friends.

"Oh, this makes me so happy." Lexi grinned, quickly pulling Lucas in for another hug.

"Okay..." He said as he unsurely reciprocated the hug. "I don't know what the hell this is about, but the hug is really nice."

"Yes, it is." Lexi agreed before pulling away from him. "And Do you know what else?... We're not gonna die here." She then looked over to the Doctor. "Are we, Doctor?"

The Doctor grinned at her." "Nope. And does anyone why?... Because this isn't real. It's a snarl." He then picked up a small rock and threw it over the edge of the cliff. "See?"

"I knew this seemed kinda funny..." Jupiter said quietly as she looked over the edge of the cliff again.

"So it's doing what a wounded animal does." Sky realized as he himself looked over the edge. "It tries to scare everyone away... We're close to the engine."

"Exactly." The Doctor agreed, snapping and pointing at him. "The TARDIS is snarling at us, trying to frighten us off... We all need to jump."

Lucas snapped his head towards him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"We'll cross a portal to the engine."

"This is insane." Clara said she, the Doctor, Lexi, Lucas, Sky and Jupiter all backed up to the door.

"You know, Miss Oswald, it really is." Lexi agreed, smirking. "But we're going to do it anyway."

"How can you be so sure about this, though?" Lucas questioned.

"That's the thing." The Doctor responded. "We can't."

Jupiter rolled her eyes. "That's watertight, isn't it?"

"Hey now, I've piloted this ship for over 900 years. Let's all have trust just this one time." He looked around at everyone and saw them giving him incredulous looks, making him roll his eyes. "Okay, fine. As well as all the other times, too."

Lexi glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Geronimo?"

"Geronimo." He nodded before they and everyone else looked straight ahead of them before running and leaping off the cliff only to land in a white room.

Suspended throughout the room were pieces of machinery.

"The heart of the TARDIS..." The Doctor said softly as the six of them walked through the room, looking around at all the pieces of machinery suspended in the air. "It's he engine... It's already exploded. It must have been the collision with the salvage ship."

"I'm noticing we're not dead." Lucas pointed out as he eyed a little piece of suspended machinery right in front of his face.

"Correct." The Doctor nodded. "The TARDIS has wrapped her hands around the force."

"So... She's frozen it?" Lexi guessed.

"Yep." He nodded.

"So, does that mean it's safe?" Clara asked.

"Temporary fix." The Doctor answered. "Eventually, this whole place will erupt. There's no way I can save her now."

"But that can't be right." Jupiter shook her head. "She's always been there for us, taken care of us. She's always been there for you, Dad. For so many years. Hundreds."

"And when we met, she welcomed me with open arms." Lexi said sadly, biting her lip in thought. "And when the twins came along, she always protected them. It's like it's our turn to help her and we can't even figure out what to do."

"Glorious..." Lucas sighed, coming up to her and taking Lexi's hand in his before Lexi felt the burns and looked at his palm.

"Oh, Lucas..." She grinned. "Doctor, come look at this."

Curious, the Doctor went over and took Lucas's hand from Lexi before looking down at it and smiling wide when he saw the letters on Lucas's hand spelled out 'BIG FRIENDLY BUTTON'. "Oh, Lucas Harper, I could kiss you."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I'd rather not get on the Glorious's bad side."

The Doctor chuckled, patting Lucas's face. "Neither would I." He said before taking out his sonic. "The rift in time. All the memories leaking out. I need to find the moment we crashed. I need to find..." He trailed off just as the Van Baalen brothers' music filled the room. "...music."

The Doctor then ran off which made Lexi roll her eyes before running after him, everyone else running after her.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The group of six entered the console room, the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver to guide them.

The Doctor then spotted a crack in the wall under the console and walked over to it. "The time rift. Recent past. Possible future."

"What are you going to do?" Clara asked.

The Doctor took out the remote for the magno-grab and used his sonic to write on it. "Rewrite today, I hope. I've thrown this through the rift before. I need to make sure this time. Going to take it in there myself. There might be a certain amount of yelling."

"Is it going to hurt?"

"Things that end your life often do that." He answered.

"Then I'll do it." Lexi offered, snatching the device from him. "Haven't experienced any agonizing pain in a while."

"Lex, I don't think that's–" The Doctor tried to speak, but Lexi cut him off.

"Let me do this one thing. You've already done so much." She told him.

"Wait, when's the last time you experienced actual physical agonizing pain?" Sky tilted his head in confusion, thinking about the statement Lexi had made just a few moments before.

Lexi smirked and looked over to her son. "When I gave birth to you and your sister. Not an easy feat."

Lexi then turned and began heading for the rift.

"Wait!" Clara exclaimed, making her paused and turn back to them. "All those things you and the Doctor said. How you've met me and Lucas before. How we died..."

"Clara, don't worry." Lexi told her. "Remember what the Doctor said? Rewrite today. You'll forget. Time mends us. It can mend anything."

"But we don't want to forget." Lucas shook his head. "Not all of it."

"It's better that way." Lexo shook her head before turning back around and heading for the rift again.

"But all those things you've said." Clara spoke up again, looking from the Doctor to Lexo. "All the things you've both said.. There's so much neither of you are telling us." She then looked to Sky and Jupiter. "You're their children. You know things, too."

"We don't know everything." Jupiter shook her head. "We may be their children, but that doesn't mean Sky and I know all that they do."

"But there are secrets." Lucas stated, looking from the twins to the Doctor and Lexi. "There are things you won't talk about."

"It's better that way." Lexi gave him a small smile then looked to her husband one last time before taking a deep breath and walking up to the rift. She carefully stepped into it as best she could before screaming in agony and disappearing from everyone's view.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Past console room_...

Sparks flew as the TARDIS lurched, throwing the Doctor, Lexi, their children and Clara and Lucas backwards.

"Magnetic hobble-field!" The Doctor shouted as he made his way back to the console, shielding his face as he tried to work on controls. "We're flying right into it!"

"Everyone, stay by the Doctor!" Lexi pointed before everyone slowly tried moving in that direction as more things started exploding.

"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this!" Clara begged.

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor nodded. "Big friendly button!"

"You're lying!" Lucas shouted, wincing as he heard a popping sound.

"Yep! Rule One!" Lexi agreed, jumping as something exploded by her.

"Is it to stop us freaking out?" Clara asked.

"Is it working?" The Doctor asked her.

"Not so much!"

Lexi reached through the rift before calling to the Doctor's past self who had been knocked against the rail.

"Doctor. Doctor!" Lexi shouted, making the Doctor's past self look at her in shock. "I'm from your future! We don't have long. It's a reset dial!"

Lexi then disappeared into thin air, the device falling from her hand and rolling across the floor.

Lucas then looked down, seeing the device rolling across the floor. Frowning slightly, he bent down to pick it up, only to gasp and drop it when it burned his hand.

"No! No!" The Doctor shouted, diving and catching it before looking at it and laughing as he read what it said. "Big friendly button."

He grinned, laughing again before pressing the button and making everything fade into a bright white light.

 _Inside, Ship, Living quarters_...

The TARDIS disappeard from the screen.

"I don't get it." Tricky frowned. "It was on screen, then it was gone."

"Hey, robot, go get me some food, I'm starving." Bram demanded as he walked past him.

Gregor hit him on the arm. "Oi, leave him alone."

Bram raised an eyebrow at his brother. "What's the matter with you?"

Gregor shrugged. "Maybe I've just got a little, tiny scrap of decency."

Bram just scoffed and walked away as Gregor clapped Tricky on the shoulder before walking off.

Tricky just smiled before glancing over at a photograph of him and the brothers along with their father.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Where've Sky and Jupiter gone?" Lucas questioned as he and Clara entered, both of them having changed and showered.

"Oh, they, er, sorta disappeared a little bit ago." Lexi shrugged, not looking up as she messed with her sonic.

Clara eyes widened a bit. "And that doesn't worry you?"

"Not really. We know where they went." The Doctor chimed in as he polished the time rotor. "They'll be back from that alternate reality soon enough."

"Alternate reality?" Lucas quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Yep." Lexi grinned, flipping her sonic in the air before catching it in her hand. "They've gone to a wedding."

"Okay... Not going to pry." Clara said slowly before crossing her arms. "But you know what? I do feel absolutely exhausted. It's like we've–"

"Had two days crammed into the space of one?" The Doctor finished for her.

Lucas tilted his head. "Why would you say that?"

"Ignore him." Lexi said, patting the Doctor on the arm. "He says stuff. So do I. Anyway... do you both feel safe?"

"Of course." Clara frowned slightly. "Why wouldn't we?"

The Doctor spun around from polishing the time rotor. "Give us a number out of ten, then. Ten being whoo-hoo, one being aarrrggh!"

Lucas smiled slightly. "You're being weird, mate."

"We just need to know if you both feel safe." Lexi explained. "We need to know... you're not afraid."

"Of?"

"The future." The Doctor answered. "I mean, running away with a madman and a madwoman in a box... well, anything could happen to you."

"That's what we're counting on. Push the button." Clara smiled before turning around and walking off. "Come on, Lucas. Let's go have tea."

"I'm making it this time." Lucas said as he followed after. "You put way too much sugar."

Lexi and the Doctor just smiled at their companions before the Doctor tossed the polishing cloth onto the console with a hook shot.

The Couple of Time then both put their hands on the dematerialization lever, grinning at each other before pulling it and sending the TARDIS off into time Vortex.

* * *

 **A/N: There you go!**

 **I hope that was okay. :) It turned out to be a bit more difficult to write than I originally thought, but I still enjoyed doing it. It was a fun challenge.**

 **The next episode will be better though, I promise! I'm so excited for it!**

 **But first, there's a little filler chapter that's going to be coming up next. So be on the lookout for that!**

 **Until next time!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	38. The Ultimate Guide

**A/N: Hello! *smiles and waves***

 **Okay, so here's a little filler chapter that's based off the Doctor Who minisode " _The Ultimate Guide_ ". Hence this chapter's title.**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Okay, I think I have everything." Lexi announced, wearing sunglasses and holding a beach bag as she emerged from a corridor and into the console room. "Clara and Lucas are getting ready. They're wondering if we're still doing a taxi." She tilted her head in confusion as the Doctor peeked at her from the other side of the console, looking as if he had know idea who she was. "Doctor, is everything alright?... Okay, you're worrying me now. Stop it."

"Who am I? Where am I?" The Doctor questioned, walking around to the side of the console, not taking his eyes off Lexi. "And who are you?"

Lexi slowly looked down to her left ring finger, seeing her blue sapphire engagement ring and wedding band before letting her gaze drift over to the Doctor's left finger and seeing the silver wedding band he had worn since right before their honeymoon.

"Are you even serious right now?" Lexi sighed, looking back up at the Doctor's face. "You actually did it, didn't you?" She asked, dropping her beach bag beside her feet before walking up to him. "The last thing you said to me before I went to get ready was: 'I've got to remember to repair the interface before I repair the time circuit or I'll completely wipe my memory.'"

"I don't remember saying that." The Doctor frowned. "I don't remember saying anything." He tilted his head. "And, in fact, here's a theory: don't laugh, promise me you won't laugh... I think, whoever I am, I've lost my memory."

Lexi quirked an eyebrow at him. "All 1200 years?"

"That sounds like a lot..." He trailed off. "Is that a lot? That sounds like a lot. Anyway, first things first: what's my name?"

Lexi's eyes widened a bit before she stepped closer to him. "I don't think I should say. I mean, Lucas and Clara are on the TARDIS. They could come in here at any moment. Besides, you told me never repeat your name. I'm the only one you've told."

"Well, that's a good start." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, I like to think it is." Lexi said before gently taking his hands in hers. "However, there is a title. You call yourself the Doctor."

"I like it." He said, smiling as he looked up from their joined hands. "Doctor who? Wait, ha! Yes! Nobody knows. Well, nobody except you, apparently. That's the thing, I suppose."

"Hang on. I think I know just the thing." Lexi smiled at the Doctor, letting go of his hands before rushing below to underneath the console and pulling a book out of a compartment. She then ran back up to the main level and handed him the book, which was a sort of journal that had the words '1200 YEARS MEMORY' embroidered on the front. "Here. You showed me this once. I think it'll help. It contains everything about you life. Everything you've ever been a part of. Everything you've done. It's all written right in here."

"The Doctor, is he a good person? Is he a good person to be?" He enquired as he took the journal from Lexi. "Who are his friends? Who are his enemies?"

"Open it and find out." Lexi smiled at him, giving his arm a squeeze before going over and sitting in a chair to wait for him.

"Alright, Doctor," The Doctor started as he opened the journal and began to read. "let's find out who you are..."

 _Later_...

"I remember now." The Doctor slammed the book shut. " I remember everything. It's like seeing it all for the first time. Seeing me... The Doctor. Eleven faces. Hundreds, thousands of years of space and time."

"And now it's all back in there again." Lexi grinned, standing up from the chair she had sat herself in before walking to join the Doctor at the console once more. "Ready for our holiday now? I think Clara and Lucas should be out here any second."

"But I don't know if I deserve a holiday." The Doctor sighed. "You know, I don't know if I deserve anything. It's like not knowing was a relief... So much death, so many friends I've lost." He then glanced at her. "You've been with me for so long. You've experience some of the losses I have... How do we carry on?"

"Because..." Lexi smiled, taking his left hand, rubbing his wedding band with her thumb. "You've saved billions of lives every time you go to a place where there's something wrong." She intertwined their fingers, gazing into his emerald green eyes. "You could turn and run... but you don't. You never do. You stay and help."

He glanced down at their intertwined fingers before looking back up and staring into Lexi's beautiful brown eyes. "Well... Wouldn't anyone stay and help?"

"No." She shook her head. "And because you don't know that, and because you'll never understand it, that, my dear husband, is what makes you the Doctor. You've taught me so much in our time together. You've made me a better person. You've showed me that even when there's death, destruction and darkness, you can find a way to the light again... That's why we'll never stop doing what we do."

"And that, my glorious Pond, is why your title is so apt for you." The Doctor smiled at Lexi, bringing her hands up to kiss her knuckles and leaving a single kiss on her blue sapphire wedding ring. "You've made me feel better."

"You make everything better." She told him softly, leaning up slightly to peck him on the cheek before pulling back. "That's why you're the Doctor."

"Oh, don't get all sappy now." He chuckled, bringing her in for a tight hug before pulling away from her and grinning. "Right, let's go on holiday, shall we?"

"Lucas! Clara!" Lexi called over her shoulder, warning her and Doctor's companions that they were getting ready to leave before turning back towards the console. "Geronimo, dearie."

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed before pulling a lever, setting the TARDIS in motion as Lexi grabbed onto the edge of the console. "Hold on!"

* * *

 **A/N: There ya go!**

 **I hope you enjoyed that little piece of Gloronimo fluff.**

 **Now, as you've probably figured out, the next episode is going to be " _The Crimson Horror_ ". I absolutely cannot wait to write and get that published for y'all! ️**

 **Like seriously, I have no idea what it is, but I've gotten so inspired for " _The Crimson Horror_ " and am going to say that I'm quite confident that you're going to enjoy it immensely with all that I've thought up for it. I'm going to shut up about it for now though so I don't accidentally spoil anything I've got planned. ️**

 **Also, I'm just now realizing that all that's left in this book is:**

 **• "The Crimson Horror"**

 **• "Nightmare in Silver"**

 **• "The Name of the Doctor"**

 **• "The Day of the Doctor"**

 **AND**

 **• "The Time of the Doctor and the Glorious"**

 **That's just FIVE episodes left of this book before we get to the 12th Doctor and we get to meet Lexi 2.0/The 2nd Glorious!**

 **I mean, I am definitely gonna miss 11 and Lexi 1.0 so much. But, I am so excited for y'all to find out who I've chosen to portray Lexi 2.0/The 2nd Glorious. I really like this pairing of her and 12. ️**

 **Anyway, I suppose I'll say goodbye for now until... " _The Crimson Horror_ "!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	39. The Crimson Horror: Part 1

**A/N: Hello, lovelies! ️**

 **Okay, so we have now arrived at an episode that I've actually been pretty excited to get to. There's kinda a reason for that, I suppose...**

 **We also have a guest star for this episode! She's woman, who in fact, is going to be guest starring as a brand-new OC that I created a while back and have been eagerly waiting to use. So... let me introduce you to her!**

~o0o~

 **Guest Starring**

 _Rose Leslie_ as Marguerite

~o0o~

 **Yep! Marguerite is a new OC that I absolutely adore and am so excited about. She's actually pretty unique and I hope you end up liking/loving her as much as I do.**

 **Like seriously, I have absolutely no idea what made me so inspired for this episode. I'm so glad it happened, though! *squeals excitedly***

 **I've even thrown in a bit of flirty Gloronimo since I feel like we don't get enough of that.**

 **Now, I'm not gonna ramble anymore because I'm just so excited for all of you to read this episode!**

 **P.S. ~ The beginning of this episode may not make a lot of sense, but you know how this episode goes. It'll make sense eventually.**

 **So, without further ado, I very happily present to you... " _The Crimson Horror_ "!**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

YORKSHIRE (1893)

 _Inside, Factory, Hall, Night_...

"If I have not returned in an hour, you must fetch the police." A man, Edmund, said to his wife, Effie, as they stood in the middle of dimly lit hallway.

"Edmund!" Effie cried as she grabbed his face, kissing him.

"Don't fret, Effie, my dear. All will be well." Edmund told her, holding her face in his hands after they pulled apart. "But we must get to the bottom of this dark and queer business no matter what the cost."

Edmund then turned away from Effie before walking down the hall to the door at the end, the round window of the door letting you see a red glow coming from whatever was on the other side. Edmund then glanced back at Effie one last time before going through the doorway.

However, almost as soon as Edmund had gone through the door, the lift arrived, making Effie turn around to see a number of women walk out. All of them clad in demure black gowns with black bonnets.

"Mrs Gillyflower!" Effie exclaimed in surprise, looking to the older woman that stood in the center of the group of women.

"We have come about your husband, my dear." Mrs. Gillyflower stated, speaking in the local Yorkshire accent. "A tragedy."

Effie frowned. "My husband?"

"Your... late husband."

"There must be some mistake." Effie said, confused. "My husband is quite well."

Just then, an agonizing scream came from behind the closed door at the end of the hall, making Effie look to the door Edmund had gone through before turning back to face Mrs. Gillyflower. Said woman had a look a feigned concern on her face.

"We are so very sorry for your loss."

All Effie could do was scream as the other women advanced towards her.

 _Inside, Morgue, Day_...

"Hell fire." The coroner, Amos, said as he lowered the sheet from the body to reveal it to Edmund's brother, Mr. Thursday. Edmund's skin was a deep red, his face set in terror. "That's put me right off me mash. Another one."

"Another?" Mr. Thursday questioned as he held a handkerchief over his nose and mouth.

"He's not the first I've had in 'ere looking like that." Amos told him. "The Crimson Horror! That's what they're calling it."

"I have no interest in the deplorable excesses of the penny-dreadful." Mr. Thursday scoffed before turning to leave.

"Hey, hey." Amos snapped his fingers, making Mr. Thursday turn to look at him. "Payment in advance, flower." He said before Mr. Thursday reached into his pocket and took out a some coins. He reached across the body to pay Amos, said man grabbing his hand. "Taking a big risk, you see, I am." He informed Mr. Thursday. "They'd have my vitals for fiddle-strings if they knew I'd let you come to have a look at one of their precious stiffs."

Scowling, Mr. Thursday yanked his hand away. "This stiff is my brother. I've come up from London to bring him home."

Mr. Thursday then turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks as the doors to the morgue swung open, letting a very familiar woman (at least to us readers) walk in.

Clad in a beige and black Victorian gown and holding an ornate golden oil lamp adorned with rubies, emeralds and blue sapphires, Lexi smiled at Mr. Thursday as Amos turned to see who had just entered the room.

"Now," Lexi began. "what is this I hear of The Crimson Horror, was it?"

"Can I help you, Miss...?" Amos questioned as he walk up to stand next to Mr. Thursday.

"Smith. Alessandra Smith." Lexi introduced herself, adjusting her hold on the jeweled golden oil lamp in her hands. "And yes, I do believe I require... help, of sorts. My husband and our friends have gone missing and I believe it has something to do with that." She pointed at Edmund's body that laid on table on the other side of Dr of the room. "I was down by the town's canal and they've just found another victim. And if I know my husband, and I think I do, he will go wherever the trouble is."

"You say your husband is missing?" Mr. Thursday questioned her.

"Yes, Mister...?"

"Thursday, Mrs Smith." Mr. Thursday said, nodding respectfully in greeting.

"Mister Thursday." Lexi nodded back. "Well, I do believe you might be able to help me. So," She started as she held up the oil lamp and gently rubbed her hand against the side of it. "you will come with me and my associate."

"What are you–" Mr. Thursday began but stopped, watching with widened eyes as a glowing purple mist began to come out of the oil lamp and swirl through the air before it soon took the form of a blue-eyed, red-headed woman wearing a shimmering red floor-length dress with an attached purple tunic, a dark blue star-studded cape and a matching belt. "Oh, Lord..."

Everyone watched as Mr. Thursday's eyes rolled to the back of his head before he promptly fainted, falling backwards to the floor.

The woman that had manifested from the glowing purple mist quirked an eyebrow as she looked down at Mr. Thursday unconscious body. "Well... that's never happened before."

Lexi smirked, looking over to Amos. "Would you mind helping us get Mister Thursday to his carriage?"

 _Inside, Carriage_...

Mr. Thursday woke up some time later, now finding himself in his carriage as it moved along the road. As he became more awake, he realized he was not alone.

"Ah, you're awake." Lexi smiled as she and the red-headed woman sat across from him, the oil lamp sitting on the seat in between them. "Sorry about earlier. I did not think you would react like that." She said before gesturing to the woman sitting next to her. "This is Marguerite. Anyway, we have had to commandeer your carriage."

"Where are you taking me?" Mr. Thursday asked angrily, looking back and forth between the two women. "Why are you doing this?"

"Same as you." Lexi told him. "You have just lost your brother due to mysterious circumstances. And you are also not sure what on Earth could have caused his body to become the way that it has. Oh, and do not worry. I have finished arranging to have your brother's body brought down to London for you. And as for where we are going, we are also going to London. I know of someone who can and will most definitely be willing to help investigate."

"So you want to investigate as well?" Mr. Thursday raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes." Lexi nodded. "As I said earlier, my husband and our friends are missing. I intend to get to the bottom of that."

"And what has grabbed your attention to go along with this?" He questioned, looking to Marguerite.

"Oh, you know..." She trailed off, a slight smile on her face. "...a bit of an obligation, of sorts."

LONDON

 _Outside, House_...

Lexi knocked on the door incessantly as Marguerite and Mr. Thursday stood slightly behind her, Marguerite now holding her jeweled golden oil lamp.

Lexi continued to knock on the door and didn't stop knocking until it opened, revealing one Jenny Flint standing there in a maid's outfit.

"Hello, Jenny." Lexi greeted her before pointing behind her at Mr. Thursday and Marguerite. "This is Mister Thursday. This is Marguerite. She's a genie. Can we come in? Great, thanks. Vastra!" She said quickly before just walking right past Jenny and and into the house, Jenny watching her with wide eyes given the fact that last time she had seen Lexi was when she and the Doctor had been there at Christmas 1892.

 _Inside, House, Vastra's conservatory_...

"Sorry to drop in on you unannounced." Lexi said as she and Marguerite sat in chairs across from Vastra, said lizard-woman sitting in a large wicker chair across from them as she wore her veil while Jenny stood at her side. "However, a matter has arisen..."

"Clearly, or else you would not be here." Vastra responded. "And judging by the fact that you are on your own, suggests that this matter involves a certain... husband?"

"Oh, you know me so well." Lexi gave her a smirk before glancing back at Mr. Thursday, said man standing behind the two chairs she and Marguerite were sitting in. "Mister Thursday, would you care to explain to Madame Vastra how this matter has drawn you in?"

"Yes." He nodded before looking to Vastra. "Mrs Smith has informed me that you are the investigator to see if there are strange goings-on."

"Yes." She nodded. "I have read about this Crimson Horror the papers seem to be speaking of. And I am sorry to see, Mister Thursday, that your brother appears to have become another victim of it."

"This Crimson Horror, as it is claimed, is... unique." Mr. Thursday stated. "No one seems to be able to figure out what it could possibly be. And my brother, you see, he was a newspaper man. He and a young woman were working undercover."

"And that is what brings us here." Lexi chimed in. "Now, Vastra, I am fairly certain that you know what an optogram is, correct?"

"A silly superstition." She nodded. "It is the belief that the eye can retain an image of the last thing it sees..."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, Morgue, Day_...

Glancing away from watching Amos help Marguerite drag Mr. Thursday's unconscious body out of the room, Lexi used an old camera to take a photograph of his brother's (Edmund's) staring eyes.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, House, Vastra's conservatory, Day_...

"This is a photograph Mrs Smith took while I was... otherwise engaged." Mr. Thursday said, reaching into his coat pocket as he walked around the chairs Lexi and Marguerite were sitting in. He took out a photograph before handing it to Jenny, said woman then passing it to Vastra.

Vastra stared at the picture for a moment before promptly removing her veil. "Good grief!"

"Oh, God..." Seeing Vastra's lizard-face for the first time, Mr. Thursday's eyes rolled to the back of his head before he fainted and fell backwards to the floor just like he had done at the morgue when he saw Marguerite materialize out of her genie lamp.

Marguerite sighed. "And there he goes again..."

 _Inside, House, Dark room_...

"I didn't want to come right out and say what I've found because I wanted you to see it for yourselves." Lexi stated as she stood beside Jenny, said woman making enlargements of the photograph. "It's quite... interesting, to say the least. And worrisome. Very worrisome."

"Considering who you're married to, Alexis, that does not surprise me." Vastra responded as Jenny clipped the photo on the line to dry before looking closer as it developed more clearly.

"Well, I'll be blowed..." Jenny muttered. "I think that we'd better make plans to head North."

Vastra came over from where she had been on the other side of the room to look at the photograph just as Marguerite entered, watching the three women closely.

"I do believe that you are right, dear Jenny." Vastra stated as she, Jenny and Lexi gazed at the photo. "Alexis darling, you and your husband never disappoint."

What could be so captivating in the photograph that they were all looking at?

Reflected within the enlarged photo of the dead man's (Edmund's) eye was the Doctor, his arms outstretched and his mouth open with a scream.


	40. The Crimson Horror: Part 2

_Inside, Carriage, Day_...

"According to my research, Sweetville's proprietor holds recruitment drives for her little community." Vastra said as she and Jenny were facing forward, Strax sitting in between Lexi and Marguerite as they sat across from them. "She is only interested in the fittest and the most beautiful."

"You may rely on me, ma'am." Strax said, gesturing to himself.

"I was, in fact, speaking to Jenny." Vastra informed him.

"Jenny?" Strax frowned. "If this weak and fleshy boy is to represent us, I strongly recommend the issuing of scissor grenades, limbo vapor and triple-blast brain splitters."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Oh, Strax, how I've missed you..."

Vastra sighed. "What for, Strax?"

"Just generally." He shrugged. "Remember, we are going to the North."

"And since this very much has something that concerns me, I will be going with Jenny." Lexi stated before picking up Marguerite's genie lamp that had been sitting in her lap the whole time. "And Marguerite is going to go back into her lamp which I will then hide under the poof of my dress by strapping it to my hip. And once Jenny and I have infiltrated Sweetville, I will let her back out so she can help us by using her magic to sense where the Doctor might be."

"And you were up in Yorkshire before?" Jenny questioned.

"Yes." Lexi nodded. "It's a long story. But I wanted to have a plan before going into Sweetville. You were the first people I thought of that could help me."

"And no offense intended, you seem quite nice." Vastra spoke up, looking to Marguerite. "But, why are you coming along?"

"No offense is taken, Madame Vastra." Marguerite said, giving the lizard-woman a small smile. "I am coming along with the Glorious because I... owe her."

"Owe her what?"

"That is something that only she can answer." Marguerite replied before leaning forward to look past Strax and at Lexi. "But that is only if you choose to do so."

 _Inside, Church_...

"Bradford, that Babylon for the Moderns, with its crystal light and its glitter." Mrs. Gillyflower spoke as she stood at a raised podium flanked by two young men and two young women, all dressed in black. To one side was a screened area and on the other was an easel with a cloth draped over it. "All aswarm with the wretched ruins of humanity. Men and women crushed by the devil's juggernaut! And moral turpitude can destroy the most delicate of lives. Believe me, I know. I know."

Lexi and Jenny sat in the large audience of people, watching as one of the young women pulled a cord, making the screen open to reveal another young woman sitting down, wearing in a light grey coat.

"My own daughter." Mrs. Gillyflower continued. "Blinded in a drunken rage by my late husband." She stated as he daughter turned around, making the audience gasp at the sight of her eyes. "Her once-beautiful eyes, pale and white as mistletoe berries." She said as her daughter stood before walking across the stage with a cane. "And what, my friends, is your story? Will you be found wanting when the End of Days is come, when judgement rains down upon us all? Or will you be preserved against the coming apocalypse? Do not despair! I offer a way out! There is a different path! Sweetville!" She said as her daughter removed the drape on the easel to reveal an artistic rendering of an idyllic village. "Join us! Join us in this shining city on the hill!" She exclaimed before she began singing. "Bring me my bow of burning gold Bring me my arrows of desire..."

"Are all these people insane?" Jenny whispered, leaning over to Lexi as the audience began joining in on the singing.

Lexi subtly glanced around. "It's just possible."

 _Later_...

Lexi and Jenny were now in line to sign up to join Sweetville.

"You wish to join us, my dears?" Mrs. Gillyflower asked as she looked at the two women.

Jenny nodded. "If it's all the same with you, ma'am."

Lexi gave Mrs. Gillyflower her best (fake) smile. "We're very eager to find out what Sweetville has to offer."

"That is very good to hear." Mrs. Gillyflower smiled at them. "Oh, yes. You'll both do very nicely." She said, handing them both pens before they signed the ledger.

 _Outside, Alley_...

"If our strategy is to succeed, Jenny, Alexis and Marguerite will infiltrate deep into the black heart of this place." Vastra told Strax as the two of them stood opposite a wall that bore one of the posters for Mrs. Gillyflower's lecture.

"And how will they locate the Doctor?" Strax questioned.

"To find him, they need only to ignore all keep-out signs, go through every locked door, and run towards any form of danger that presents itself." She replied. "And having Marguerite's magical senses won't hurt either."

"The strange, dangerous and unheard of..." Strax trailed off. "Business as usual, then."

Vastra smirked, nodding. "Business as usual."

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Attic hall_...

Mrs. Gillyflower's daughter, Ada, climbed a spiral staircase with her cane under her arm and a plate in hand before then reaching the top of the stairs and walking up to a locked door.

Ada fumbled with her hand on the door until she found a handle. She then knelt and slid a panel up from the bottom before pushing the plate inside and closing the panel.

"Did you think I'd forgotten you, dear monster? Hmm?" She asked quietly before she heard a loud rattle of heavy chains just inside the door, making her pull back. She promptly stood back up and headed back down the stairs with the use of her cane.

 _Outside, Street_...

Mr. Thursday walked up to the door of a non-descript house, pushing hanging sheets out of the way before using the door knocker, the door soon opening.

"I have travelled from London expressly to see Madame Vastra." Mr. Thursday said, not looking up as he looked down at his calling card. "If you'd be so kind as to announce me, my good man."

"Whom should I say is calling?" Strax asked as he took the calling card from him.

Mr. Thursday took that moment to actually look up, promptly fainting when he saw what Strax looked like.

 _Inside, House, Parlor_...

"It asked for permission to enter and then it fell over." Strax said as he used a lady's fan to give an unconscious Mr. Thursday air as said man laid on the couch. "What are we to make of it?"

"I imagine Mister Thursday wants to know what progress we are making." Vastra replied, sitting in a chair while looking at a photograph. "The question is, how did the Doctor's image come to be preserved on a dead man's eye?" She questioned before standing up from the chair, still looking at the photo. "It is a scientific impossibility. I wonder how Jenny, Alexis and Marguerite are getting on..."

"If they haven't made contact by nightfall, I suggest a massive frontal assault on the factory, Madame." Strax stated. "Casualties can be kept to perhaps as little as 80%."

Vastra rolled her eyes. "I think there may be subtler ways of proceeding, Strax."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged before turning back to fanning Mr. Thursday.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Hall_...

Jenny and Lexi were now waiting in a long line for entry into the community, a young local woman standing beside them.

"I'm dead nervous, aren't you?" The woman asked as she leaned over to speak with them quietly. "They have to be sure, you see. Only the best for Sweetville... I hope me teeth don't let me down." She smiled nervously, revealing that her teeth were not in the best shape. "I'm Abigail."

"Pleased to meet you." Jenny smiled at her.

Abigail blinked. "You're not local, are you?"

"No, she isn't. Up from London. I'm down from Scotland." Lexi said quickly, trying to speed things along. "Say, Abigail, do you know anyone who's come to live here at Sweetville?"

Abigail nodded. "I had a pal who come here three month back. She wrote to tell me how perfect it all were." She said before frowning slightly. "Funny, though. I've not heard a peep from her since."

"Next, please!" A man called off down towards the front of the line.

"Hang on. We're moving." Abigail said before stepping as Jenny and Lexi slipped over to a door marked 'No Entry'.

Lexi casually looked as she discreetly slipped her sonic into Jenny's hand.

Abigail glanced back at the duo when she noticed that hadn't stepped forward with her. "What're you doin'?"

"Do us a favour. Cause a distraction." Jenny said before turning around to to the door, activating Lexi's sonic and trying to hide it from view of anyone.

Abigail raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Look, me and my friend need you to cause a distraction. Swoon. Have a funny turn. Fit of the vapors." Lexi whispered to her. "We need to slip through this door unnoticed so I can take an oil lamp out from underneath my dress and release a genie."

"Are you crackers?" Abigail questioned, her mouth agape.

"Quite possibly." She nodded, holding out a coin to her. "Come on, there's a guinea in it for you."

"Done." She said, quickly taking the coin before taking deep wheezing breaths and 'fainting'. The people in line then rushed to her aid which allowed Lexi and Jenny to slip through the door unnoticed.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Hall_...

"Here." Jenny said as she handed Lexi her sonic back, said woman then hiding it within the sleeve of her dress again.

Lexi then bent down slightly and lifted up the skirt of her dress a bit before unstrapping Marguerite's jeweled golden genie lamp from her hip, then rubbing the side of it and making glowing purple mist swirl into the air before Marguerite manifested right in front of Lexi and Jenny.

"Welcome back." Jenny smiled at her before turning and opening a large heavy door as Lexi strapped the genie lamp back to her hip.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Factory floor_...

"What is this place?" Marguerite questioned as she, Lexi and Jenny entered the room and looked around in amazement.

"A place that shouldn't exist." Is all Lexi replied with, hearimg machinery making noise all around them.

The three women covered their ears, seeing the sound was a recording projected by three large bell-shaped speakers. They then stepped past them before uncovering their ears and looking around at the large empty space.

They then saw some men crossing the floor, carrying large glass flasks. Leix nudged Jenny and Marguerite, nodding in the men's direction before the three of them each ducked behind one of the speakers.

Lexi squinted her eyes and watched as the men entered a lift, one of the flasks they were carrying containing some sort of red liquid.

 _Inside, Morgue_...

The coroner, Amos, pushed open a curtain to reveal a number of glass jars on shelves.

"Them new manufacturers can do 'orrible things to a person. 'Orrible." Amos said as Vastra looked over his shoulder. "I've pickled things in here that'd fair turn your hair snowy as top of Buckden Pike."

"You know what I'm looking for." Vastra told him, taking a step back.

"Oh, aye." He nodded. "All them bits found in't canal. The Crimson Horror!"

Amos then bent over and picked up a long-necked bottle containing a red liquid before turning and giving it to Vastra who turned away from Amos before lifting her veil to better look at the liquid within the bottle.

"It hardly seems possible..." She muttered.

Amos raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"I think... I think I've seen these symptoms before."

Amos nodded. "Oh, aye?"

"A long time ago."

"Oh, aye? How long?"

Vastra smirked before turning around to face him.

"About sixty-five million years."


	41. The Crimson Horror: Part 3

_Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Parlor, Day_...

"I trust you had a pleasant day, Mama?" Ada enquired as she and her mother were sitting down to dinner, her mouther slouching forward and slurping her soup while Ada herself sat ramrod straight and ate delicately ate her soup.

Mrs. Gillyflower scoffed. "Tolerable."

"Will Mister Sweet ever join us for dinner, Mama?"

"Mister Sweet is rather tired tonight, I fear." She answered before reaching for the salt shaker, accidents knocking it over and spilling some salt on the table. "Dear me. How clumsy I'm getting." She laughed lightly before tossing a pinch of salt over her shoulder. "To keep the Devil at bay."

Mrs. Gillyflower then looked up at the man waiting on them, said man nodding before walking away.

When Mrs. Gillyflower was sure he couldn't see, she pulled the napkin from the neckline of her gown and sprinkled some salt down inside.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Hall_...

Lexi stepped out of the lift and into the hall, glancing both ways to see that it was empty before motioning for Jenny and Marguerite to follow her.

At one end of the hall was a door with a round window through which the trio could see a sort of red glow.

Curious, The three of them walked cautiously towards the door, Lexi peering through the window before letting Jenny and Marguerite have a look.

Suddenly, the three women heard a noise making them turn their heads towards the other end of the hall.

Becoming even more curious, they all walked to the other end of the hall before finding a spiral staircase.

"Well, this doesn't make you want to go investigate." Jenny commented.

"Oh, not at all." Lexi rolled her eyes playfully before promptly beginning to climb the stairs, Jenny and Marguerite following behind her. "Are you sensing anything, Marguerite?"

"I feel..." Marguerite trailed off, closing her eyes as she held onto the stair railing while following behind Lexi. "I feel a sort of... frustrated presence. It's very near."

"If I was trapped somewhere in here, I'd be frustrated, too." Jenny chimed in as the three of them continued ascending the staircase.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Attic hall_...

"Do you do this sort of thing all the time?" Marguerite asked quietly as the three of them reached the top of the spiral staircase.

"You have no idea." Lexi sighed before they heard a banging coming from the room that contained Ada's 'monster'.

Careful, Lexi stepped up to the door and tried the handle only to find it locked. She then knelt down and lift the panel to peer inside.

Just then, a hand reached out and grabbed her neck, making her squeak in surprise before falling back as the hand let go of her and pulled back before the panel on the door slammed shut.

"That hand was red." Marguerite whispered with wide eyes as Lexi got to her feet again.

Trying to calm her racing hearts, Lexi cautiously stepped up to the door. "Alright, whoever you are, you've got to stay calm now." She said before she heard chains slam against the door. "I can open this door. Would you like that?" The chains rattled a little softer, making her smile a bit. "I thought so. But you see, you and I have got to come to an arrangement. Sound good?" The chains knocked again. "Okay. You stand back, now." She said as she slid her sonic into the palm of her hand from the sleeve of her dress. "Did you hear what I said? My friends and I do not mean any harm to you. But if you try anything funny, we will leave you here to rot. Do you understand me?" She then heard two knocks. "Good."

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Attic room_...

Lexi slowly opened the door, Jenny and Marguerite cautiously peaking over her shoulders.

Standing directly opposite the door was a figure wearing white clothes.

Lexi's eyes widened. "Doctor?"

It was indeed the Doctor, said man's skin being red like the bodies found in the canal. His mouth was locked open as he reached out towards his wife with a groan. He lunged towards her awkwardly, like a regular Frankenstein's monster.

"What happened to you?" Lexi asked earnestly as she opened the door wider, letting herself, Jenny and Marguerite actually walk into the room.

The Doctor just grunted and looked over to his clothes that were lying on the floor near a corner of the room.

"Can you speak?" Jenny asked him, tilting her head.

The Doctor just groaned again as Lexi slowly walked up to him and tentatively tapped his face, finding that it sounded like wood.

"What have they done to you." She whispered, gently running her hands down his arms before just shaking her head. "Right. We're getting out of here." She said as she began using her sonic to unlock the shackles that were restraining her husband. "Jenny, grab his clothes."

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Hall_...

Lexi helped the Doctor walk down the hall as Jenny and Marguerite followed behind them, Jenny carrying the Doctor's clothes as Marguerite kept looking over her should to keep a look out. The Doctor himself now had his regular boots on but moved straight-legged, his knees unable to bend given the hardened red-like wax stuff that covered his body.

"Come on." Lexi urged him on as the four of them passed the lift, said lift being on its way up.

"Might want to move a bit fast." Marguerite suggested quietly as Jenny went to move to the other side of Lexi, said woman trying to push her husband forward.

Marguerite then glanced back when they were all getting closer to the door and watched as the lift opened, Ada them stepping out.

Marguerite quickly dissipated and took the form of her glowing purple mist before shooting past Lexi, the Doctor and Jenny and opening the door.

Unable to speak, the Doctor watched with wide eyes as Marguerite manifested back into her human-looking form before ushering all of them through the door and making it close silently.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, 'Red' hall_...

The Doctor groaned slightly, his eyes moving over to Marguerite before looking to his wife again.

Lexi sighed as she continued to help the Doctor along, motioning to Marguerite. "Doctor, this is Marguerite. She's a genie. Marguerite, this is my husband: the Doctor. But you know, we can go for better introductions later. We need to move."

"Oh, my God..." Jenny muttered as they all stopped and looked through a large window to see a large vat bubbling away with red liquid.

A large rack soon moved over the vat with six people suspended from it, a man then moving a lever and making the people lower into the liquid.

"This is so twisted." Lexi whispered, the Doctor groaning in agreement before raising his arm and pointing down the hall.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Attic hall_...

"You're all I have, monster." Ada said as she approached the door with another plate in her hand. "But all will be well. Imperfect as we are, there be will room for us in the new Jerusalem."

She then put her hand on the door, the door moving effortlessly. Almost on its own as Ada lightly pushed it open.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Attic room_...

Ada slowly entered the room as she moved her cane back and forth over the floor before it hit the unlocked chains.

"No... NO!" She exclaimed as she knelt down and felt the chains with her hands. "Where are you, monster? Where are you?"

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, 'Red' hall_...

Lexi helped the Doctor to what looked to be a booth set into the wall, Jenny and Marguerite watching curiously as they followed behind them.

With a groan, the Doctor reached both arms towards the handle on the door.

"What is it, dear?" Lexi questioned as she looked from the booth to the Doctor, pointing with her thumb at the booth. "You want to go there?"

The Doctor groaned even louder, as if saying yes before Lexi opened the door and helped the Doctor inside.

"Jenny, clothes, please." Lexi said, gesturing for Jenny to hand her the Doctor's clothes before then handing the clothes to him.

With a shaky hand, the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic before using it on the controls.

Lexi then closed the door just before two of Mrs. Gillyflower's 'helpers' walked by, Lexi, Jenny and Marguerite each quickly ducking out of sight before they were spotted.

The three women came out of hiding when the coast was clear just before strange noises came from the booth, a green light showing through the slates.

Suddenly, the door opened up and the rejuvenated – and clothed – Doctor popped out.

"Ah!" He grinned. "Missed me?"

Lexi laughed gleefully. "Doctor!"

"Lexi! Lexi, Lexi, sexy Lexi!" The Doctor grinned before running down the hall and jumping in the air, clicking his heels together. "Just when you think your glorious wife will never turn up!" He then slide back across the floor to Lexi, a permanent grin plastered on his face. "Lexi!"

The Doctor then dipped her, placing a hand to back of her head as he kissed her passionately as Jenny and Marguerite both stood there kinda awkwardly until the Doctor pulled Lexi back up, said woman having a dazed smile on her face.

"You should kiss me like that more often." Lexi breathed.

"Duly noted." He smirked, tapping her once on the nose before clapping his hands together and twirling back around. "Right! Right, first: you." The Doctor pointed at Marguerite. "You're new and interesting. Where did you come from?"

"That can be explained in due time." Lexi cut in before taking her husband by the arm, leading him down the hall towards the door and leaving Marguerite and Jenny both standing there a bit confused. "For now, we need to focus on Mrs Gillyflower. We've got to stop her."

"Yes, yes, you're right." The Doctor nodded quickly. "And then there's Clara and Lucas. Poor Clara and Lucas. Where are they?"

"Clara and Lucas?" Jenny raised an eyebrow as she rushed after them. "Doctor, Glorious, wait!"

"Can't. Clara and Lucas. Gotta find." The Doctor said quickly before he and Lexi walked through the door.

"I'm confused." Marguerite said as she followed quickly after Jenny. "Who're Clara and Lucas?"

"What happened to you?" Jenny questioned, ignoring Marguerite as they followed after the Couple of Time. "How long have you been like that?"

The Doctor slid back to the door, tugging Lexi along with him. "Days. Weeks. Don't know."

"Five weeks and three days." Lexi spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.

"Really?" The Doctor asked her in surprise. "Why would you wait that long to come here."

"Believe me, it wasn't my choice." Lexi sighed as her gaze drifted to Marguerite. "I was in a magically induced coma."

"I said I was sorry!" Marguerite put her hands up in defense.

"Look, look, I know it wasn't your fault." Lexi assure her. "Well, I mean, it was your fault. But it wasn't intentional, so it's okay."

"Okay, I'm even more confused than I already was." Jenny said, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, it'll make sense once you hear the story." Lexi told her before grabbing the Doctor's hand again and tugging him along to continue on their way. "Doctor, feel free to jump in when it gets to the parts I don't know."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Outside, Street, Day_...

The ever-lovable TARDIS materialized on the cobblestone street before the door opened, letting Lexi step out as she was being lead by the Doctor, said Time Lord holding his hands over her eyes. Both of them were dressed, of course, in the right attire for the time period.

"And for your birthday, my dear..." The Doctor began as he took his hands from in front of her eyes. "London 1893!"

Lexi quirked an eyebrow as she gazed around at the environment. "Um, Doctor... This doesn't look like London. At all."

"Right, right. Yes." He nodded thoughtfully as he looked around himself. "Not London 1893. Yorkshire 1893. Near enough."

"You do make a habit of this, don't you? You know, getting us lost." Lucas pointed out as he and Clara stepped out of the TARDIS, both of them dressed in the right attire for the time period as well.

"And on your wife's birthday, for shame." Clara smirked, closing the TARDIS door.

Lexi laughed as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, it's much better than it used to be." Lexi informed as the four of them all began walking down the street, the Doctor putting an arm around Lexi's shoulders as they went. "Still, getting lost isn't the worst thing. You often find some of the most interesting things when you're not intentionally looking for them."

"Oh really?" Lucas questioned, glancing at her as they all reached the end of the road before turning a corner and finding themselves on a much more busy street with people milling about.

"Yep." Lexi nodded as the Doctor took his arm from around her shoulders before just reaching and holding her hand instead as they continued to walk along the street through the crowd of people. "Take me and the Doctor, for example. I never planned on meeting him. Then again, I don't think anyone ever does. But anyway, he quite literally crash landed into my life. It's a long story. But you see, that wasn't planned. Not by me, anyway. It was all very... wibbly wobbly."

"And timey wimey." The Doctor added with a grin.

Lexi giggled, nodding. "Exactly."

Clara couldn't help but smile at the pair as she and Lucas walked alongside them. "Look at you two... If I didn't know you, I'd say it was almost as if you were still in the honeymoon faze. How long have you two been married, exactly."

"Twenty-six and a half years." The Doctor answered proudly, gripping onto Lexi's hand a bit tighter.

"If you don't mind me asking," Lucas began. "and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, how old are you turning today, Glorious?"

"Fifty-one, dear Lucas." Lexi smiled at him before turning her attention back in front of her as they continued to stroll along the busy street.

Lucas and Clara blinked in surprise.

"Well, I have got to say you look damn good for fifty-one." Clara told her.

"Decelerated aging will give that to you." Lexi quipped, grinning before she and the Doctor walked a bit ahead, leaving their companions to follow.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Night_...

"You're seriously fifty-one?!" Marguerite gawked at Lexi as they, the Doctor and Jenny walked down a dark corridor.

"And that surprises you?" Lexi retorted, glancing back at Marguerite. "Come on, Marguerite, you're older than I am."

"Really?" Jenny asked quickly, glancing from Lexi to Marguerite. "How old."

"Hush now." Lexi said, making Jenny look back to her. "We're getting there."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Outside, Street, Day_...

"Okay, I know you said you would like a bit of alone time on your birthday." The Doctor said as he, Lexi, Lucas and Clara walked along the street. "So, that is what you shall have, my dear. We can meet back at the TARDIS in three hours."

"Thank you." Lexi smiled at him, pecking him on the cheek before turning to Lucas and Clara. "Don't let him do anything too crazy, will you?"

"Of course not." Clara grinned. "I've been keeping an eye on Lucas since we were children. I think I can help do the same for your husband."

"I am not a child, Clara." Lucas frowned, crossing his arms.

"And neither am I." The Doctor scowled, crossing his arms like Lucas.

"Debatable." Lexi giggled before walking away from them, waving a temporary goodbye. "Have fun."

The Doctor huffed slightly, shaking his head at his wife's antics.

Clara couldn't help but laugh at the Doctor and Lucas's expressions before just going in between them and looping her arms through theirs. "Come on, boys. Let's go explore."

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Night_...

"I sort of regret not having you stay with us." The Doctor commented to Lexi as the two of them continued along the corridor, Jenny and Marguerite following behind them. "Then again, you were the one that initiated this whole rescue operation."

"Yes, I was." Lexi nodded in agreement. "Now, stop interrupting."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Outside, Marketplace, Day_...

It was nice getting to wander about the marketplace. Lexi really was enjoying herself. You'd think that after traveling space and time with the Doctor for as long as she had, that she'd get a bit tired of it after awhile.

Hell no.

Absolutely not. She loved being able to go to different planets and time periods. No matter where, when, or how long she had been doing this for; she would never tire of it. Ever.

I mean, don't get me wrong. Lexi loved spending special occasions with the people she cared about. But she also liked having a bit of time to herself every once in awhile. That's why she had requested to spend a little bit of their trip exploring by herself before meeting back up with everyone.

That's how Lexi found herself where she currently was. You know, wandering about the quaint little Victorian Yorkshire marketplace. With all of its odds and ends of various random objects, ranging from tiny little charms for jewelry to big and lavish Persian rugs.

Lexi smiled slightly as she held up a pair of small emerald earrings to her ears as she looked at her reflection in a full length freestanding dark wood framed mirror. Deciding that she didn't absolutely love them, she placed them back beside where she had found them, next to a few other pairs of different jeweled earrings.

It wasn't until about ten minutes later that Lexi found herself at the back of the marketplace where there wasn't as many people. In fact, it was nearly empty. You know, save for the few vendors that were going about their business.

Gazing at a few Persian rugs that were hanging up, displayed for people's viewing, Lexi admired the intricate patterns that the rugs possessed before lifting one of them and walking behind it so she could exit the marketplace.

However, Lexi not only found herself behind the back of the marketplace, she also found herself in a deserted alleyway.

Taking a step forward, Lexi looked down when her foot bumped against something.

It was a box.

A wooden box that was half covered by the end of low hanging Persian rug.

Lexi then found herself to be curious as to why this box was just... there. You know, almost specifically hidden away.

Careful not to step on the end of her dress, Lexi crouched down and moved the end of the rug off the box before dusting the top off.

~o0o~

 ** _Let her free_**

~o0o~

Lexi quirked an eyebrow as she gazed down at the short message that was engraved on top of the wooden box. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before slipping her sonic out of the sleeve of her dress and using it to open the lock that was keeping the box shut.

Lexi heard the click of the lock before watching as it popped open, making her smile a bit before opening the box while still holding her sonic in her other hand.

An oil lamp. A golden and jeweled oil lamp.

Lexi tilted her head as she gazed down at the beautiful object with its shiny gold exterior and its decorative and glittering blue sapphires, rubies and emeralds.

"Fancy." Lexi muttered to herself before tentatively reaching and touching the side of the oil lamp, gently running her fingertips over the beautiful jewels that adorned the golden exterior.

She was definitely not expecting what happened next.

Almost a tingly sensation, like as if the oil lamp began gently vibrating from within, made Lexi pull her hand back with slightly widened eyes.

Lexi's eyes widened even more as a soft and glowing purple mist began coming out of the spout of the oil lamp before swirling its way up the length of her arm and enveloping her whole body, making her begin to feel drowsy.

The last thing Lexi saw was her sonic screwdriver as it began sparking in her hand before everything dissolved into darkness.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Night_...

"So that's where the magically induced coma comes in." The Doctor noted as he, Lexi, Jenny and Marguerite ducked behind a giant pillar just before a few of Mrs. Gillyflower's pilgrims walked through the hallway and through another door.

"Yes." Lexi whispered as they all re-emerged from behind the pillar when the coast was clear. "Now, since you like talking so much, why don't you inform us as to what you, Lucas and Clara were doing at that time?"

The Doctor smirked at her. "As you wish."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Outside, Street, Day_...

"So, what did the Glorious mean earlier when she said it's much better than it used to be?" Clara enquired as she, the Doctor and Lucas all walked along the street, completely unaware of what was happening with Lexi. "You know, with the whole getting us lost."

"Well, here's the thing." The Doctor began, waving his hand around aimlessly. "I may or may not have spent a hell of a long time trying to get a gobby Australian to Heathrow Airport."

Lucas raised an eyebrow as he looked past Clara and at the Doctor. "What for?"

"Search me. Anyway–" The Doctor responded before being cut off by a woman's scream from off in the distance, making him, Clara and Lucas all look at each other. "Brave hearts, Clara and Lucas!"

The Doctor grinned at them before rushing off towards where the scream came from, Clara and Lucas eagerly running after him.

 _Outside, Canal side_...

"It's another one, don't you see?" Edmund asked he and other people looked down at a body as it was floating face-down in the water. It's skin was red and it also had white clothes on. "Another victim!" Edmund exclaimed as he was being restrained by a policeman. "Why won't any of you listen?"

"We'll listen." The Doctor spoke up, making Edmund look back to see him, Clara and Lucas standing a short distance away.

 _Outside, Sweetville Gates_...

"Mrs Winifred Gillyflower." Edmund stated as he, the Doctor, Clara and Lucas all walked up to the gates of Sweetville before looking through the bars into the courtyard. "An astonishing woman. A prize-winning chemist and mechanical engineer. So why..."

"Why has she decided to open up a match factory in her old home town?" The Doctor finished for him.

Edmund nodded. "And no one who ever goes to live there ever seems to come out."

 _Inside, Morgue_...

"Same as the rest." Edmund said as he, the Doctor, Clara, Lucas and the Coroner (Amos) all looked at the body. "All dead from causes unknown and their flesh... glowing."

"Like something manky in a coal cellar." Amos agreed. "They keep turning up in't canal. The Crimson Horror!"

"Ooh. Good name. Hey, that's good, isn't it? The Crimson Horror!" The Doctor grinned. "I wonder what it is..." He muttered before leaning in closer to examine the body's eye with a magnifying glass. "Do you know the old Romany superstition, Clara? Lucas? That the eye of a dead person retains an image of the last thing it sees?"

"Of course I know it." Lucas rolled his eyes before he took a look for himself, seeing an image of an older woman (Mrs. Gillyflower) reflected in the eye. "History is what I do. Obviously it's nonsense."

"Unless?" The Doctor questioned him, crossing his arms.

"Unless the chemical composition of the body has been massively corrupted." Lucas answered, standing back up straight before handing the magnifying glass to Clara so she could look.

"Very good." The Doctor nodded at him, impressed before rubbing the red skin of the body with his white gloves.

 _Later_...

"Do you think maybe we should go find the Glorious?" Lucas questioned as he and Clara stood on one side of a table while the Doctor stood on the other side as he used the lab's chemistry set to analyze the red liquid. "It's been almost two hours."

"It's her birthday." The Doctor responded, not looking up from what he was doing. "She wanted some time to herself, which is fine. Let's let her have that." He stated before squinting slightly. "Wow. This is nasty. An organic poison. A sort of venom. Edmund, you think it's connected to Sweetville?"

"I do." Edmund nodded from where he stood at the side of the table.

"Well, then, we need a plan." The Doctor responded, looking up and at everyone.

"What about the Glorious?" Clara asked, crossing her arms.

"I'll send a message to her phone." The Doctor responded as he took off the white gloves he was wearing.

"How can you send a message to a phone?" Edmund asked, confused.

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor waved him off before looking to Clara and Lucas. "We'll be in and out before you know it."

"In and out of where?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Parlor_...

"Doctor Smith. Miss Oswald and Mister Harper." Mrs. Gillyflower smiled as she looked at the three people that stood before her. "Oh, yes. You all will do very nicely."

Lucas and Clara smiled wearily as they stood by the Doctor, said man smiling before beginning to speak.

"Oh, grand. Smashing." The Doctor grinned, speaking in a broad Northern accent. "Eh, the three of us couldn't be more chuffed, could we?"

 _Outside, Sweetville, Courtyard_...

The Doctor walked alongside Mrs. Gillyflower as Clara and Lucas walked arm-in-arm behin them.

"Sweetville will provide you with everything you need." Mrs. Gillyflower stated as she escorted them by the houses. "You won't have to worry about a thing... ever again."

"The name. Sweetville." Clara said, trying her best a mimicking a Northern accent.

"Yes?" Mrs. Gillyflower enquired.

"Why not name it after yourself?" Clara questioned. "After all, it's your creation."

"Gillyflowertown, eh? Gillyflowerland!" The Doctor exclaimed, gesturing around at their surroundings. "You could have roller-coasters."

Mrs. Gillyflower stopped and turned to look at them. "It is named in tribute to my partner."

"Your late partner?" Lucas asked gently, doing his best at faking a Northern accent.

"No. My... silent partner. Mister Sweet likes to keep himself to himself." Mrs. Gillyflower informed them before gesturing to the door of the house they had stopped in front of. "Shall we move on?"

"Who lives here?" The Doctor asked her.

"Oh, names don't matter here." Mrs. Gillyflower laughed lightly. "All you need to know is that we only recruit the brightest and the best."

She then opened the door, letting the Doctor, Clara and Lucas look in to see a tableau of a husband and wife sitting motionless at their afternoon tea. They were covered by a giant bell jar hooked up to bellows.

Lucas glanced at the Doctor and Clara with wide eyes just before men came up behind them and women came from inside the house.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Vat room_...

The Doctor looked around wildly as he was on a rack that was being lowered into a bubbling vat of red liquid. The poor thing was conscious as he went under.

 _Later_...

Clara was one of many women standing in a row, catatonic as Mrs. Gillyflower walked in front of them as if they were soldiers on parade while Ada stood opposite of the men's line.

"Like pretty maids all in a row." Mrs. Gillyflower smiled as she walked past all the women. "The process improves with every attempt! Mister Sweet is such a clever old thing." She said before looking down at the floor. "Oh, into the canal with the rejects, Ada." She ordered before walking past the men's line and out the door.

"Yes." Ada nodded, walking over to the reject pile before hearing a grunt, a motionless Lucas watching her as she went.

Ada kneeled down and carefully reached out a hand and found another that moved. "Ma..."

Ada then put her hand in the palm of the other, it gripping hers.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Attic room_...

"Sometimes, the preservation process goes wrong." Ada informed as she locked the shackles around the Doctor's wrists. "Only Mister Sweet knows why. And only Mama is allowed to talk to Mr Sweet. But if you're very good, you can stay here. You'll be my secret. My special monster." She whispered as she put her finger to the Doctor's lips. "Shh."

Ada then used her cane to guide herself towards the door, the Doctor grunting and reaching out to her as she closed the door.

 _Later_...

The Doctor sat on the floor, legs stretched out in front of him as he thought of how much he was regretting coming into this place. It was up to Lexi now to find him and their companions. There really didn't seem to be another way.

Suddenly, there was a noise from outside just before the door burst open, letting Edmund enter as he screamed, dressed in white clothes and dripping with red venom.

The last thing Edmund saw was the Doctor, said man putting his hands out as Edmund fell to the floor.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Night_...

"Yeah, now I'm really glad I didn't come you into this place." Lexi stated as the Doctor finished his part of the story; the two of them, Jenny and Marguerite crouching down while they moved past a window.

"So what happened next?" Jenny questioned as they all stood up straight again.

"I woke up." Lexi said, glancing back at her and Marguerite as the Doctor poked his head through a door to check if anyone was there. "I woke up five weeks and three days later."

 **~o0o~**

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Inside, ?_...

"Mm." Lexi stirred awake, feeling a bit disoriented as she opened her eyes.

Lexi let her gaze drift around her surroundings, allowing herself to see that she was in a lavishly decorated bedroom. Almost in a sort of Moroccan themed style. With orange, pink, purple, deep red and turquoise draperies hanging on every wall. Different throw pillows lining the edges of the room with some piled together in couple of corners as well.

Lexi then brought her gaze to rest on herself as she laid on one of the softest beds she had ever felt, gold satin sheets caressing every part of her.

Lexi also noted how she wasn't dressed in the Victorian dress and that she had been wearing before. Instead, she found herself dressed in a long deep crimson nightgown made of some of what like the softest silk possible.

"Okay... What the hell?" Lexi muttered as she looked down at herself before gazing around the room again.

"Ah, you are awake." A kind voice greeted, making Lexi look over in that direction to see a young woman with red hair and blue eyes standing in the doorway of the room. "I thought I'd come and check on you again to see how you were doing. You've been asleep for quite a while."

"Have I?" Lexi raised an eyebrow as she sat up before swinging her legs over the side of the bed to face the woman more directly.

"It was pretty powerful spell." She explained as she took a step further into the room.

"Spell?" Lexi tilted her head slightly. "What spell?"

"A sleeping spell." The woman answered cautiously. "I reacted on instinct. I didn't know what was happening. I haven't talked to... anyone in a really long time. And when I felt your presence surrounding my lamp, I got scared. I wasn't expecting... well, anyone. I never am. People usually find me, then use me before making me come back in here."

"What do you mean use you?" Lexi questioned as she stood up from the bed. "Who are you?"

The woman gave her a gentle smile. "My name is Marguerite... And I think you and I should have a chat. There's a robe laying across the chair over in the corner of the room over there. Slip that on and follow me. I'll make us some tea."

Not giving Lexi time to respond, Marguerite turned around and stepped out of the room, leaving Lexi to do as she said before following after her.

 _Inside, Sitting room_...

"I like your... decor." Lexi complimented as she gazed around the room, now wearing a golden silk robe over the deep crimson nightgown she had on.

Lexi noted how Marguerite's sitting room seemed to be decorated in the same style as the bedroom she had woken up in. Colorful jewel-toned drapes hung all over the walls, and various jewel-tones throw pillows were also scattered about. That's actually what Lexi and Marguerite were sitting on as they sat at low table in the center of the room.

"Thank you." Marguerite smiled at her as she dropped a sugar cube into her cup of tea. "It was my mother's style. I keep it this way because I like to remember her."

Lexi nodded slowly as she thought out what to say next.

"Okay, I've got to ask." Lexi began after a moment of thinking her words over. "I mean, I'm fairly certain I know the answer. But, call it double-checking... You're not human, are you?"

"Clever, you are." Marguerite smirked, taking a sip of her tea. "And you are right. Well, half right."

"Half right?" Lexi quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not human... fully." Marguerite explained slowly as she eyed Lexi. "It's sort of complicated. Well, actually not that much. You see, I'm only half human."

Lexi squinted at her as she raised her tea cup to her lips. "And what other half are you, exactly?"

"Genie."

Lexi almost choked on the sip of tea she had just taken. "I'm sorry... What?"

"I'm half human and half genie." Marguerite stated. "My father was human. My mother, however, was a genie."

"How is that even possible?" Lexi questioned as she set her teacup back on its saucer.

"I'm sure you know how making babies works." Marguerite rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant!" Lexi exclaimed. "Are you a sarcastic genie, now?"

"Sometimes." She shrugged, grinning before she took another sip of her tea.

Lexi huffed shaking her head. "Alright, explain something to me then. How does a human and genie having a baby come about?"

"Growing up, my parents always told me how they met and fell in love." Marguerite explained her as she set her teacup back down on it's saucer before folding her arms on top of the table as she looked across at Lexi. "My mother, a genie, as you've gathered, had somehow found herself being shipped in this lamp from Alexandria, Egypt all the way to Aberdeen, Scotland."

"So, you're half Scottish." Lexi noted, nodding. "I thought I detected a hint of a Scottish accent in there."

Marguerite smiled, nodding. "I am half Scottish. And half Egyptian. My mother found herself over in Scotland in the early Middle Ages. She was on her own for a couple hundred years before she met my father."

"Wait." Lexi sat up straighter. "Early Middle Ages?... How old are you?"

"Well, my mother was first over here in the year 503 AD. People would come across her lamp, which is this lamp that we're in right now. They'd have her grant them their three wishes before they'd make her come back in here. People are, usually, only interested in what they can get from a genie. And once they make their wishes, they don't care about you anymore."

"That's horrible." Lexi frowned.

"It is." Marguerite nodded in agreement. "Anyway, my mother would be released from her lamp, be under the control of someone until they made their wishes, and then be sent back inside here. That went on for a little over two hundred years before... something happened. My father found her. Of course at first my mother thought that it would be like any other time she was found by someone. However, she would soon come to find out that wasn't going to be the case at all. My father... he was a kind man. A very kind man. One of the best men my mother said she had ever met. He was a merchant. A fairly successful one. He saw the uniqueness in things that others might not really care that much about. He told me that he came across my mother's lamp on a trip to Inverness. Somehow, in the two hundred or so years my mother had been in Scotland, her lamp had made its way from Aberdeen to there. Anyway, when he released her from the lamp's hold, he could see the tiredness and sadness in her eyes. Like she had lost her love for the world. He was the kind of person that didn't like seeing other people sad. That was somewhere in the year... 709 AD, I think."

"So what happened then?" Lexi found herself asking, completely getting immersed in the conversation and not really focusing on what she probably should have been.

"Well," Marguerite began as she poured more tea into Lexi's cup. "my mother did the whole thing with telling him how he had three wishes, etcetera etcetera. And do you know what he told her?... He said he didn't want a damn thing except to get to know her. Of course, you can imagine my mother's surprise when he told her this. It's always a mandatory thing that a genie grants three wishes when its released from its lamp. My mother told him this. And so, my father made his wishes. One: he wish that she'd allow him to take her for a walk so he could speak with her more. Two: on that walk, he wished for her to watch the sunset with him. And three: he wished for her to marry him only if she wanted to... I was born a year and a half later."

"They fell in love in one day?" Lexi blinked.

"It's was 709." Marguerite shrugged. "People got married fairly quickly back then. Still do, I suppose. What year is this, anyway?"

"1893." Lexi replied, taking a tiny sip from her teacup.

"Wow." Marguerite nodded, pursing her lips in thought for a moment. "Since my last release, I've been in this lamp for... seventy-nine years. Time really does fly..."

"Seventy-nine years? On your own?" Lexi frowned as she set her teacup down. "That's incredibly lonely."

"That's a life of a genie. Or in my case, half genie." Marguerite shrugged. "We're practically immortal. We can outlive people we care about and then be released and grant wishes for people who don't care about us."

"That's awful." Lexi sighed, reaching across the table to place her hand on top of Marguerite's. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Marguerite gave her a small smile, patting her hand before she retracted it.

"I am, though." Lexi stated. "But I am also curious about something. Your parents... how did that work out?"

"My father didn't care that my mother was... four hundred or so years old by that point. You couldn't even tell. She looked like she was in her late twenties." Marguerite smiled fondly at the thought of her parents. "My father was thirty when he married her. I came along around a year and a half after they wed. They stayed happily married for a good fifty years before my father passed away in his sleep. Then it was just me and my mother from that point on. We, as you say, 'hit the road' after that. We were on our own for... eight hundred years or so, granting wishes for people who ever came across our lamp. She and I became like a team. It was bearable. You know, granting wishes together... It all came crashing down in the early 1550s. I won't go into too much detail, but long story short, my mother was mistaken for a Protestant/Witch and was burned at the stake. Courtesy of Queen Mary I of England. Fire can kill a genie, so it's no wonder she didn't survive. I narrowly escaped and have been on my own ever since, granting wishes to whoever finds me. Your the first person in seventy-nine years that has found me."

"Okay, one: I'm am so sorry for what happened to your mother. That is absolutely horrible. Her Majesty wasn't called 'Bloody Mary' for nothing..." Lexi sighed, biting her lip in thought before looking back up at Marguerite. "If you were born in 710 AD, then that means you're... one thousand, one hundred eighty-three years old."

"Correct." Marguerite nodded before taking a small sip more of her tea.

"You're sort of around my husband's age." Lexi commented, taking a sip of tea before her eyes widened. "Oh, My God! My husband... Our friends!"

"Woah, woah. Calm down." Marguerite raised her hands in a calm down gesture. "Okay, so you are married, then. I noticed the rings on your left ring finger when I checked in on you periodically while you were sleeping."

"Wait... How long was I sleeping?" Lexi asked quickly, setting her teacup back down.

"Yeah... Here's the part that you probably will not like..." Marguerite began slowly. "When I got panicked by suddenly feeling your presence, I acted on instinct and accidentally used a sleeping spell on you and it put you in a magically induced coma. You were comatose for a little over five weeks."

"Five weeks?!" Lexi exclaimed, slamming her hands down on the table. "You couldn't have told me that earlier?"

"I didn't want to freak you out anymore than you already were." Marguerite informed her. "I mean, I feel bad enough that I put you in a coma. I wanted try and ease you into things carefully. I tried to make you as comfortable as possible until you woke up. That's why I put you in that nightgown. And don't worry, I used a quick clothes changing spell. Your dress and hat are hanging in the wardrobe in the room you woke up in."

"Well, I suppose I'll thank you for that." Lexi huffed, crossing her arms as she thought out her next words. "I need to get out of here."

"Well, you're welcome to go any time you want." Marguerite told her. "You just have to let–"

"you grant me three wishes." Lexi cut her off, finally realizing the situation fully. "I don't want to force you to do anything. I don't like how you've described the way people treat you."

"Well, you have to let me grant you three wishes." Marguerite stated, crossing her arms. "Then, what you do with me after that, is up to you."

"Alright..." Lexi nodded before a thought occurred to her. "Hey, you didn't happen to see a sort of... screwdriver looking device when you brought me into this lamp, did you?"

"Oh!" Marguerite exclaimed before turning slightly and reaching over to a small wooden box that sat on the floor by a chair. She lifted the lid before pulling out what looked like a very burnt and charred sonic screwdriver. "You mean this thing?"

Lexi's eyes widened at the sight of the state her sonic was in. "My sonic..."

"Yeah..." Marguerite sighed as she handed the ruined device to Lexi. "It must've been from the spell."

"Well, I know what my first wish is." Lexi stated as she looked up from her sonic. "I wish that this was back to working order, and not burnt."

"Alright." Marguerite said, raising her hand slightly before snapping her fingers.

A bright white light flashed throughout the room, making Lexi shield her eyes for a moment before the light dissipated to reveal Lexi's sonic back in its original condition.

Lexi smiled, activating her sonic and seeing the pink crystalline emitter lit up and beautiful.

"Good." Lexi sighed in relief, kissing her sonic once before looking back to Marguerite. "I also believe I know my second wish."

"And that would be...?" Marguerite questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That you allow me to take you and your lamp along with me as I search for my husband and our friends." Lexi told her. "If I've been asleep for five weeks, then they have to be worried. And if they haven't found me by now, something has to be wrong."

"Okay." Marguerite nodded. "I think I can manage that."

"Great." Lexi clapped her hands together before they stood up from the table. "Then we need to get ready."

 _Inside, Marguerite's Oil Lamp, Corridor_...

"Are you ready?" Marguerite questioned as she and Lexi stood in the corridor, Lexi wearing the dress she had first arrived in Victorian Yorkshire in and Marguerite wearing a shimmering red floor-length dress with an attached purple tunic, a dark blue star-studded cape and a matching belt.

"Definitely." Lexi nodded, sliding her sonic into the sleeve of her dress before adjusting the hat on her head.

"Alright." Marguerite nodded before waving her hand in a circular motion in Lexi's direction.

Lexi watched as the glowing purple mist began to swirl up around before everything flashed white for a moment.

 _Outside, Alleyway_...

Lexi inhaled deeply as she took in the fresh air, now finding herself in the same alleyway that had been behind the marketplace. The marketplace that was no longer there.

Lexi looked around for a moment before noticing that the box Marguerite's oil lamp was in was now hidden behind a small stone wall.

"That's strange..." Lexi muttered as she stepped over to the box, peeking in and seeing Marguerite's oil lamp sitting in there. "I could've sworn that this box was over there."

Lexi glanced in the direction of where the marketplace once stood. A marketplace with vendors never tended to stay in one place for too long. But if the box had been at the edge of the back of the marketplace when Marguerite had brought Lexi into the lamp, then how did it move the three or so yards over to behind the small stone wall?

Shaking her head of the thought, Lexi quickly shut the lid of the box before picking it up and walking in the direction of the busy street of people.

On a mission.

 _Outside, Street_...

Lexi turned a corner off the busy street and onto the cobblestone street she, the Doctor, Clara and Lucas had arrived on in the TARDIS.

"She's still here." Lexi whispered as she speed walked up to the TARDIS, adjusting the box in her arms so she could hold it in one arm while put a gentle hand on the side of the TARDIS, said box letting out a hum of relief and also anxiousness. She quickly walked to the door and opened it without a problem, poking her head into the console room. "There not here, are they, Idris?"

The TARDIS hummed worriedly.

"I'm gonna find them, I promise." Lexi told her before shutting the door and stepping back out onto the quiet cobblestone street.

Lexi bit her lip in thought before looking down to the wooden box in her arms that contained Marguerite's oil lamp, said half genie still inside.

Nodding to herself, Lexi took the oil lamp out of the box before opening the TARDIS door once more and sticking the wooden box just inside before shutting the door again.

"Alright, Marguerite, let's–" Lexi began speaking to herself as she looked down at the beautiful oil lamp in her hands before she was cut off by a scream from off in the distance, making her snap attention. "Well, I suppose that's a good way to start."

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main building, Hall, Night_...

"So I ran in the direction of where I heard the scream come from and found a bunch of people looking down at a body covered in that red stuff floating face-down in the canal." Lexi explained as she, the Doctor, Jenny and Marguerite walked down a dark hallway.

"You're really almost twelve hundred years old?" The Doctor asked, glancing back at Marguerite.

"Really, that's what you got from that story?" Marguerite blinked.

"No, it's not the only thing." The Doctor rolled his eyes before glancing at Lexi. "Her oil lamp is strapped to your hip underneath your dress?"

"Yep." Lexi nodded, patting her hip where she felt the oil lamp resting against her hip. "Right here."

"Okay, back to the topic at hand." Jenny spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "What is that red stuff?"

"Deadly poison." The Doctor answered, pulling his sonic out and scanning with it as they crossed the hall. "Mrs Gillyflower is dipping her Pilgrims in a dilute form to protect them. Preserve them. Process didn't work on me. Maybe because I'm not human." He said as looked out a different window. "I ended up on the reject pile."

"Preserve them against what, though?" Marguerite tilted her head.

"Well, according to her, the coming apocalypse." The Doctor stated, whistling as he spun his finger on the side of his head.

'When the End of Days is come and judgement rains down upon us all...'" Lexi muttered, remembering something she had heard when she and Jenny had gone to hear Mrs. Gillyflower speak.

The Doctor turned around and looked at his wife. "What?"

"Nothing." Lexi said, shaking her head as she looked out a window.

"No, what?" The Doctor asked her again, walking over to her before grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around to face him.

"It was omething Mrs Gillyflower said. You know, one of her sermons." Lexi told him, looking him in the eye. "Come on, Vastra's bound to get impatient and come looking for us. We need to get moving."

"Of course." The Doctor grinned, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before taking her by the hand and tugging her along. "Clara and Lucas, got to find."

"But, Doctor, Glorious!" Jenny exclaimed as she and Marguerite rushed after them. "Clara and Lucas are dead... Aren't they?"

The Couple of Time paused in the doorway and turned back to Jenny and Marguerite, making said two women stop in their tracks.

"Yeah... It's complicated." Lexi said before she and the Doctor rushed off again, leaving Jenny and Marguerite to follow.


	42. The Crimson Horror: Part 4

_Outside, Street, Night_...

"Horse!" Strax exclaimed as he halted the horse pulling the carriage. "You have failed in your mission. We are lost, with no sign of Sweetville. Do you have any final words, before your summary execution?" He questioned the horse, said horse letting out a neigh. "The usual story." He grumbled before raising his weapon. "Fourth one this week, and I'm not even hungry." He stated as he charged the gun.

"Sweetville, sir?" A little voice questioned.

Strap glanced to the side and saw a young boy standing at the side of the road. "Do you know it?"

The boy nodded. "Turn around when possible. Then, at the end of the road, turn right."

"What?"

"Bear left for a quarter of a mile and you will have reached your destination." The boy told him, Strax then putting the gun down and holding his hand out to the to help the boy climb onto the seat beside him.

"Thank you." Strax told the young boy. "What is your name?"

"Thomas, sir." The boy replied. "Thomas Thomas."

"I think you will do well, Thomas Thomas." Strax nodded once before starting the carriage again, the horse moving along once more.

 _Outside, Sweetville, Courtyard_...

"Are we talking about the same people?" Jenny questioned as she and Marguerite walked along on either side of the Doctor and Lexi as they searched for Lucas and Clara. "You know, about that Clara and that Lucas?"

Ignoring her, the Couple of Time both ran off to check one of the doors of one of the houses.

"Doctor! Glorious!" Jenny huffed, putting her hands on her hips as the Doctor and Lexi turned back around and walked back over to them.

"I couldn't see much from where I was, but I think they both survived the process." The Doctor informed, Lexi sighing internally in relief.

"Well, they have to be around here somewhere." Lexi mumbled before turning back around and rushing to check another house, the Doctor following after her.

"But didn't you say that these two people died?" Marguerite questioned, glancing at Jenny.

"They did." Jenny stated surely before walking a few paces ahead. "Doctor, Glorious, do neither of you remember the ice lady and the ice man?"

"Like we said, it's complicated." The Doctor waved her off before he and Lexi ran off in another direction.

 _Inside, Sweetville house, Parlor_...

Eager to find their companions, Lexi quickly opened a door to one of the houses only to see said companions both primly in place under a bell jar. Lucas was standing at Clara's side, with Clara herself sitting straight in a chair.

With wide eyes, Lexi hurried inside with the Doctor right behind her, both of them pounding against the glass as they slid to the floor.

"Okay, okay, okay." Lexi mumbled, looking around wildly as she tried to think of a solution before spotting a chair just as Jenny and Marguerite rushed in, both stopping when they saw Clara and Lucas. "Doctor, chair!"

"Chair?" He questioned before looking to where his wife was pointing. "Oh, chair!"

The Doctor quickly stood, as did Lexi, before he went and grabbed the chair and threw it against the jar with a shout, making the glass shatter.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main Building, Attic room_...

Ada was crying as she was knelt on the floor of the room with the chains in her hands as Mrs. Gillyflower found her.

She scoffed. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh, Mama, I have been foolish." Ada sniffled as she turned around to look at her mother. "I have formed a... a sentimental attachment."

"An attachment?" Mrs. Gillyflower raised an eyebrow. "To whom?"

"A young man. Unlike the others, he survived rejection." Ada informed her. "He must be strong. Worthy of salvation."

"Wrecker! Berserker!" Mrs. Gillyflower shouted. "You have unleashed a reject onto the outside world!"

Ada bowed her head sadly. "I have disappointed you."

"My plans must be accelerated..." Mrs. Gillyflower realized. "Nothing must interfere with the Great Work!"

"But please say there is still room for me in your new Eden, Mama!" Ada begged as she scooted closer to her. "Promise me that!"

"I will set my Pilgrims onto him." She stated before turning to leave, but stopping when Ada grabbed at the hem of her dress.

"No!" Ada cried.

"Kindly do not paw and slobber at my crinolines." Mrs. Gillyflower scolded. "You know I cannot bear to look at sick people."

Ada sobbed. "Promise you will not abandon me, Mama, promise me that!"

"Do you not yet understand that there can be no place for people such as you?" She said as if it were a matter of fact. "That only perfection is good enough for myself and for Mr Sweet. The bright day is done, child, and you are for the dark."

With that, the evil Mrs. Gillyflower left the room, leaving a sobbing Ada behind.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main Building, 'Red' hall_...

"Can they be revived?" Marguerite questioned, tilting her head as she stood next to Jenny, the two of them watching the Doctor and Lexi peer through the slats of two booths. "You know, like you were?"

"I hope so." The Doctor sighed as Lexi impatiently tapped her fingers against the booth Lucas was in.

Just then, Marguerite and Jenny turned and saw as some Pilgrims entered the hall.

"Doctor. Glorious." Jenny tapped Lexi on the shoulder, making her and the Doctor turn to look where she and Marguerite were looking.

"Oh, great. Great." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Attack of the supermodels."

"Time for a plan." Lexi stated as the Pilgrims pulled out coshes (clubs).

"Why don't I take this one?" Marguerite shrugged, looking to Lexi.

Lexi smirked at her. "Show 'em what you got, genie."

Marguerite grinned before stepping forward, thrusting her hands out in front of her. The Doctor and Jenny watching in awe as glowing purple mist flowed from her fingertips while Lexi looked on proudly at the woman who she was starting to consider a friend as she began hitting each pilgrim one by one and knocking them out cold. Some of the Pilgrims did manage to dodge Marguerite's attack, while others were not as fortunate.

Marguerite's eyes glowed gold for a moment with sheer power before she hit three Pilgrims at once, knocking them out cold and making them fall to the floor.

"That is a plan!" The Doctor exclaimed, smiling wide before glancing at Lexi. "She is really cool."

"I know!" Lexi grinned excitedly.

Marguerite smiled wide at the duo before turning back to the remaining Pilgrims who started tapping their coshes (clubs) against their hands.

"Okay, maybe it's time for a new plan." Jenny commented as she watched the remaining pilgrims begin to advance on them.

They all started backing away but didn't get very far before pounding footsteps were heard, Strax running into the hall a moment later as he fired his gun towards the Pilgrims and making them run away.

"Quickly!" Vastra shouted as she ran into the hall. "Let's go!"

"We can't do that." Lexi shook her head before going and looking into the booth that held Lucas.

"Nope." The Doctor agreed as he himself went and looked into the booth that held Clara.

"They're right." Jenny stated, looking to Vastra. "We've got to help the Doctor and the Glorious with Clara and Lucas."

Not missing a beat, Vastra looked at the Doctor and Lexi as if to say 'What the hell have you two done now?'.

The Doctor cringed, glancing back at Vastra. "It's a long story." He told her before turning his head back to look into the booth again.

"What now, Madame?" Strax questioned as he walked over to join everyone. "We could lay mimetic cluster mines."

"Strax." Vastra rolled her eyes.

"Or dig trenches and fill them with acid."

"Strax!" She scowled. "You're overexcited. Have you been eating Miss Jenny's sherbet fancies again?"

Looking pretty guilty, Strax tried to answer in a most ever-so innocent tone. "No..."

Vastra sighed. "Go outside and wait for me until I call for you."

"But, Madame–"

"Go!" She pointed to the exit.

Sullen, Strax started grumbling to himself as he made his way to the exit. "I'm going to go and play with my grenades..."

"Okay," Lexi began as she and the Doctor scanned the booths with their sonics. "I think they're about done."

"And we know who you think they are, but they aren't." The Doctor spoke aloud as he and Lexi opened the doors to the booths to show Clara and Lucas with their eyes closed. "They can't be..."

"I was right, then." Vastra stated as she walked up to the Doctor and Lexi. "You both have unfinished business with Clara and Lucas."

"I'm still having a bit a trouble actually getting this." Marguerite spoke up, crossing her arms with a contemplative expression on her face. "You've actually met these two before? As in they're the same people that you've seen die, except, they're not?"

"Kinda." Lexi replied just before Lucas and Clara fell forward, the Doctor catching Clara easily while Lucas almost made Lexi topple over had it not been for Marguerite rushing to help keep him up.

"Well hello, strangers." Lexi smiled as she looked back and forth between the two friends.

"Doctor?" Clara smiled slightly, tapping said man on the nose.

"Uh-huh." He nodded at her, giving her a small smile.

"You're eyes look like caramel infused chocolate chips." Lucas mumbled dreamily as he stared into Lexi's brown eyes while being unsteady on his own two feet.

"Thank you, I think?" Lexi giggled slightly.

"What's going on?" Clara whispered to the Doctor when she spotted Vastra and Jenny.

"Oh, haven't you heard?" The Doctor questioned her in a Northern accent, making Lexi look over to him, raising an eyebrow. "There's trouble at t'mill." He said before returning to his regular accent and nodding to Vastra. "She's a lizard."

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main Building, Hall_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Lucas, Clara, Jenny and Vastra strode down the hall to the lift, Vastra speaking as they went.

"My people once ruled this world, as well you know." She reminded the Couple of Time. "But we did not rule it alone. Just as humanity fights a daily battle against nature, so did we. And our greatest plague, the most virulent enemy was the repulsive red leech."

"Ooh." The Doctor made a noise as he called the lift. "The repulsive red leech! Nah. On balance, I think I prefer the Crimson Horror."

"Does have a better ring to it." Lexi agreed before looking to Vastra. "What was it exactly?"

"A tiny parasite." She replied. "It infected our drinking water. And once in our systems, it secreted a fatal poison."

"If it's been hanging around, lurking in the shadows, maybe it's evolved." The Doctor reasoned. "Or maybe it's had help."

"Dear, I've been thinking." Lexi began. "You know, since I've been here, the chimney–"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Way past that now, Lex." The Doctor waved her off as he walked a few paces ahead of everyone. "Yucky red parasite from the time of the dinosaurs pitches up in Victorian Yorkshire. Didn't see that one coming."

Lexi put her hands on her hips. "Seriously, though, Doctor, the chimney–"

"But what's the connection to Mrs Gillyflower?" The Doctor wondered, ignoring Lexi's pointed gaze. "'Judgement will rain down on us all...'" He then snapped his fingers and slowly spun around to face everyone. "An empty mill."

Lexi gave her husband a thin smile as she walked up to him before putting her hands on his shoulders. "A chimney, dearie, that doesn't blow smoke."

A took a moment for a look of realization to cross the Doctor face before he smirked at his wife. "Clever clogs... You really are Sexy Lexi."

She smirked right back at him. "Missed me?"

"Lots." He said, the smirk never leaving his face as he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

She grinned before leaning in closer to where only he could hear her. "And I've got to say, I know you've done it before, but when you talk in that Northern accent, it just... does things to me..."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her before smirking again. "What kind of things?"

"If you're good..." She smirked as she walked her fingers up his chest and tapped him gently on the nose as she leaned to whisper in his ear. "I'll show you later."

He pulled back slightly, his eyes a tiny bit wide.

After a moment's more of silence between them, the Doctor quickly grabbed his wife's hand before tugging her along to the lift as it arrived.

"Come along, everyone!" The Doctor called out to their 'entourage'. "We mustn't waste any more time!"

 _Inside, Sweetville, Factory floor_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Lucas, Clara, Jenny and Vastra were all now hiding behind various bits of off-cast machinery as they spied on Mrs. Gillyflower's pilgrims.

"She's going to poison the air!" The Doctor whisper-shouted.

"How in the world would she do that?" Marguerite raised an eyebrow before they watched one of the Pilgrims pull a lever, letting you see the method of delivery was a huge rocket.

"With that, I should think." Clara stated with wide eyes.

The seven of them continued to watch as two Pilgrims then pulled a cloth off a basket that contained a flask of the red liquid.

"And that must be the poison." Lexi stated, squinting.

"Alright, gang, I've got a plan." The Doctor suddenly said before they all stood, the Doctor accidentally knocking over a metal pipe, making all of them duck back down quickly. "Sorry! Shh!" He whispered before they slowly stood again.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main Building, Hall_...

Ada was now sitting on an empty crate in the corner, crying as a door opened, letting the Doctor, Lexi, Lucas and Clara enter the hall.

"Who's that?" Ada asked, having heard them. "Who's there?"

The Doctor carefully went and knelt in front of her and gently took her arm, startling her before he gently lifted her hand to his face.

"You. It's you..." Ada breathed. "My monster." She smiled, putting her other hand to his face. "You've come back! But you're..."

"Warm. And alive. Thanks to you, Ada." The Doctor smiled. "You saved me from your mother's human rubbish tip. Now, what's wrong?"

"She does not want me, monster." Ada sniffled sadly. "I am not to be chosen. Perhaps it was my own sin, the blackness in my heart, that my father saw in me."

"Ada, no. That's nonsense. Stupid, backwards nonsense, and you know it." The Doctor shook his head before taking her head in his hands. "You know it." He said softly, rubbing a thumb over the scars by her eyes.

Lexi tilted her head. "What is it?"

Ada quickly looked up. "Who is that?"

"I'm..." Lexi trailed off as she knelt beside the Doctor, Lucas and Clara watching them. "I'm his wife."

"You are fortunate, then." Ada responded, smiling sadly. "'Tis never good to be alone."

"No. No it isn't." Lexi shook her head, placing a gentle hand on top of Ada's as she spoke softly to her. "I learned that a long time ago."

The Doctor smiled, giving Lexi's arm a gentle squeeze before returning his attention to Ada again. "Please, Ada, we need you to tell us something - who is Mr Sweet?"

Ada sighed, looking away. "Oh, dear monster..."

"Ada, please." Lexi told her gently. "Please tell us."

"I cannot." Ada shook her head. "Even now, I cannot! I cannot betray Mama."

"Well, come with us, then." The Doctor stated before he and Lexi got to their feet again, the Doctor putting a hand on Ada's shoulder. "There's something you need to know."


	43. The Crimson Horror: Part 5 - FINAL

_Inside, Sweetville, Factory floor, Night_...

Jenny and Vastra, along with Marguerite, were watching the Pilgrims as they moved about the floor.

"Look." Marguerite whispered and pointed, Jenny and Vastra looking to where she was pointing before spotting one of the large flasks. All three of them looked at each other, Vastra nodding once before they all slowly moved from their hiding place.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Main Building, Parlor_...

With purpose, the Doctor opened the door without knocking and strode right in with Lexi, both of them followed by Lucas and Clara.

"You do seem to keep turning up like a bad penny, young man." Mrs. Gillyflower stated, turning around as she chuckled before walking over to them.

The Doctor shrugged. "Force of habit."

"Can I offer you something?" Mrs. Gillyflower enquired. "Tea? Seed cake? A glass of Amontillado?"

"No, thanks." The Doctor gave her a thin smile. "We've had a skinful already, as you might say."

"Ha! Very funny." She let out a fake half laugh before letting her gaze drift to Lexi. "And who might you be?"

Lexi gave her a mirthless smile, taking a step forward. "I'm his wife. And you're nuts." She pointed out, crossing her arms. "And we're going to stop you."

Mrs. Gillyflower tisked, shaking her head. "Sorry to inform you, but I'm afraid Mr Sweet and I cannot allow that."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor rolled his eyes as he came to stand alongside Lexi. "Would it be impolite to ask why you and Mr Sweet are petrifying your workforce with diluted prehistoric leech venom?"

"We keep hearing so much about this silent partner of yours." Lucas chimed in, tilting his head slightly as he stood next to Clara. "I think it's only fair that we finally put a face to the name."

"Yeah." Clara agreed, tilting her head in much the same way her friend was. "There's no need for him to be so shy."

"Oh, do not worry, dears." Mrs. Gillyflower said in reassurance. "Mr Sweet is always with us."

"You know," Lexi began, drumming her fingers against her arm. "you do seem to have a particularly close relationship with your pal."

"Oh, yes. Exceedingly close." She nodded. "Symbiotic, you might say."

With that, Mrs. Gillyflower unfastened the top part of her gown and partially opened it to reveal a large red leech attached to her. Said leech turned its head to reveal a round mouth that was lined with numerous sharp teeth. Mrs. Gillyflower then sat down and began feeding it.

Clara's eyes widened. "What... What is that?"

"A survivor!" Mrs. Gillyflower exclaimed, smiling evilly. "He has grown fat on the filth humanity has pumped into the rivers. That's where I found him."

"Definitely not something I've ever read in any History book." Lucas muttered. "Still, very enterprising."

"His needs are simple." Mrs. Gillyflower explained. "And in return, he gives me his nectar."

"Mrs Gillyflower, you have no idea what you're dealing with." The Doctor sighed, sitting down next to her as Lexi walked around to stand on her other side. "In the wrong hands, that venom could wipe out all life on this planet!"

"Do you know what these are?" She questioned him, holding her hands out in front of her with her palms up. "The wrong hands!"

Mrs. Gillyflower then giggled before getting up and moving over to the mechanism, pulling another lever.

Suddenly, a noise was heard from outside, Lexi quickly going over to the window and seeing lights on the chimney.

She raised an eyebrow, glancing back at Mrs. Gillyflower. "Planning a little fireworks party, are we?"

"You've all forced me to advance the Great Work somewhat." She responded. "But my colossal scheme remains as it was. My rocket will explode high in the atmosphere, raining down Mr Sweet's beneficence onto all humanity."

"And wiping us all out?! You can't!" Clara shouted, moving to go over to the older woman, but stopped when Lucas put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him, finding his gaze stone cold as it was fixed on Mrs. Gillyflower.

"My new Adams and Eves will sleep for but a few months before stepping out into a golden dawn." Mrs. Gillyflower grinned, clasping her hands in front of her. "Is it not beautiful?"

The Doctor suddenly clapped his hands together. "Tell us about Ada, Mrs Gillyflower."

Mrs. Gillyflower paused, glancing over at the Doctor with a confused expression. "What?"

"Your daughter." The Doctor repeated. "You do remember your daughter? Tell us about your daughter."

She scoffed. "How can you speak of such trivia when my hour is at hand? The child is of no consequence."

"Is that how you really feel?" Lexi spoke up. "Is that why you experimented on your own daughter?"

Lucas tilted his head in confusion. "Experimented?"

"The signs are all there." Lexi stated, not taking her eyes off of Mrs. Gillyflower. "I'm no expert, but it really isn't that hard to figure out. It's the pattern of scarring. You used her as a guinea pig, didn't you?"

"God!" Clara put a hand over her mouth in shock.

Mrs. Gillyflower scowled our Lexi. "Sometimes, sacrifices must be made."

"Sacrifices?" The Doctor scoffed as he came over to stand next to Lexi, both of them staring the older woman down. "Believe me, I'm no perfect parent. But, I would NEVER subject my children to experimentation just so I wouldn't have to."

"But it was necessary!" Mrs. Gillyflower insisted. "I had to find out how much of the venom would produce an anti-toxin. To immunise myself! Don't you see? It was necessary!"

"Mama?" A small voice spoke up, making everyone look to see Ada was standing at the door. "Is it... Is it true?"

"Ada." Mrs. Gillyflower sighed, taking a step towards her daughter.

"It is." She said sadly. "It's true. True..."

"Ada, listen to me." Mrs. Gillyflower said as she took a few more steps towards her daughter.

"You hag! You perfidious hag! You virago! You harpy!" Ada shouted as she began advancing on her mother. "All these years, I have helped you! Served you! Looked after you! Does it count for nothing?! Nothing at all?!" She screamed, striking her mother with her cane.

"Stop, stop." Mrs. Gillyflower whimpered, putting her arms up to try and block Ada's attack as everyone watched them.

Ada herself stopped as her mother leaned against a door.

Looking around quickly, Lucas soon spotted a chair before rushing and picking it up.

"Uh, Lucas, maybe that's not the best idea!" Lexi tried to tell him. "I've got my sonic screwdriver!"

"Yeah?" He smirked. "Well, Glorious, I've got a chair."

With that, Lexi, the Doctor and Clara all watched as normally mild mannered Lucas threw the chair at the rocket's controls, therefore destroying them and causing sparks to fly.

"No!" Mrs. Gillyflower cried out.

"Okay, well I suppose that worked." The Doctor shrugged before quickly looking to Mrs. Gillyflower. "I'm afraid your rocket isn't going anywhere, Mrs G."

Ada then faced opposite her mother who was still by the door as Lexi, Lucas, the Doctor and Clara continued to stand in the middle of the room.

"Please, come to me, Ada. My child." Mrs. Gillyflower said gently, taking a sobbing Ada into a hug. "You have always been so very..." She trailed as she put a revolver to Ada's head. "useful."

Lexi's eyes widened. "Mrs Gillyflower, no."

"Please, Mama." Ada cried. "No more. No more."

"And now, if you'll please forgive us," Mrs. Gillyflower began, directing her words towards the other individuals in the room. "we must be going. It is long past Ada's bedtime!"

With that, Mrs. Gillyflower pushed Ada through the door ahead of her as Clara and Lucas rushed over. The door, however, closed and locked before they could get there.

The two friends tried pulling on the door but the Doctor stopped them.

"No, don't." He told them. "If we follow straight after her, she'll shoot Ada on the spot."

"She wouldn't do that!" Lucas said, glancing back at the Doctor.

"Sorry to inform you, dear Lucas," Lexi said as she went and picked up the chair Lucas had used to smash the controls. "but I do believe she would." She held the chair over her head. "Chairs are a wonderful thing, aren't they?"

"What are you about to do?" Clara asked her.

Lexi just grinned, everyone watching as she turned around before then charging towards the window with the chair and smashing the glass.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Factory floor_...

"Come, Ada." Mrs. Gillyflower instructed as she pulled her daughter along by her hand. "Don't dawdle."

Ada sobbed. "Please, Mama, stop!"

Ignoring her, Mrs. Gillyflower stopped to question some Pilgrims. "Has the venom been loaded?"

"Yes, ma'am." A male Pilgrim nodded.

"Then heaven awaits ya'!" Mrs. Gillyflower exclaimed before continuing on her way as she pulled Ada along with her while the Pilgrims went the other way.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Chimney, stairs_...

"Please, Mama!" Ada cried as Mrs. Gillyflower pulled her backwards up the stairs that went around the rocket.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Factory floor_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Lucas and Clara all arrived at the factory.

The Couple of Time both looked up at the rocket before sharing a look. The two of them then quickly continued on with their companions running after them.

 _Inside, Sweetville, Chimney_...

"Stop!" The four time and space travelers heard Ada cry out as they hurried up the stairs, which only made them hurry faster because of the sound of terror in her voice. The four of them stopped when they saw Mrs. Gillyflower holding Ada in front of her by a power box.

"Please, Mrs. Gillyflower, just let her go!" The Doctor called up to her. "Let Ada go!"

"Secondary firing mechanism, Doctor!" Mrs. Gillyflower replied. "Mr Sweet and I are too smart for you, after all."

"Please, just let your daughter go, Mrs Gillyflower." Lexi pleaded earnestly before Ada suddenly broke away and fell to the landing down the steps, holding herself up by the hand rail.

"Ada!" Mrs. Gillyflower shouted angrily, cocking the revolver as she aimed it at her daughter.

"Shoot, if you wish, Mama." Ada sniffles. "It is of no matter, for you killed me a long time ago!"

The Doctor started to move towards Ada but Mrs. Gillyflower fired at him, making him fall back with his hands over his head.

While Mrs. Gillyflower struggled with cocking the pistol, Lexi herself tried for Ada but was also shot at, making her stumble into the Doctor as she dodged the bullet.

Steadying her, the Doctor watched as Mrs. Gillyflower opened the power box and began to sing.

"I'll labour night and day To be a pilgrim!" She sang out before pulling a lever.

While Mrs. Gillyflower was opening the box, the Doctor moved away from Lexi to go to Ada again.

After Mrs. Gillyflower pulled the switch, the rocket's engines powered up and then it launched as the Doctor helped cover Ada against the wall while Mrs. Gillyflower laughed giddily.

"Now, Mr Sweet," She began as she looked up to the sky. "now the whole world will taste your lethal kiss!"

"I don't think it will, Mrs Gillyflower." Lexi stated, snapping her fingers and pointing up.

Everyone looked up to see two veiled figures and one hooded figure appear on the landing above holding the flask of venom. The two figures wearing veils pushed them back to reveal it was Vastra and Jenny. And the hooded figure lowered its hood to reveal that it was indeed Marguerite.

"Very well, then." Mrs. Gillyflower scoffed. "If I can't take the world with me, you will have to do. Die, you freaks! Die! Die!" She shouted, aiming her gun at Marguerite, Vastra and Jenny.

"Put down your weapon, human female!" A very distinct voice commanded, making everyone look to see Strax was at the opening of the chimney as he aimed his weapon at Mrs. Gillyflower. Said older woman fired at Strax, said potato firing back and making Mrs. Gillyflower lose her balance which then made her fall to the floor down below.

The Doctor and Lexi quickly rushed down a few steps and tilted their heads, grimacing as they look down at a now barely moving Mrs. Gillyflower. "Ouch."

Everyone then ran to the last flight of stairs, watching as Mr. Sweet (the red leech) released his hold on Mrs. Gillyflower before starting to crawl away.

"No... No! Mr Sweet? Where are you going?" Mrs. Gillyflower called out to the creature. "You can't leave me now, Mr Sweet."

Clara made a face as she watched the red leech crawl across the floor. "What's it doing?"

"It knows she's dying." The Doctor answered. "She's no longer any use to it."

"Mr Sweet!" Mrs. Gillyflower cried before noticing Ada, said young woman making her way down the stairs, her cane tapping the steps. "Ada? Ada. Are you there?"

She carefully kneeled beside her mother, gently taking her hand. "I'm here, Mama."

"Forgive me, my child." Mrs. Gillyflower halfheartedly begged. "Forgive me."

Slowly, Ada leaned forward to whisper one single word to her dying mother.

"Never."

"That's... my... girl." Mrs. Gillyflower said, a weak slight smile coming across her face as she took in one last breath before dying.

Everyone then looked up to the sky above them, watching as the rocket exploded. The Doctor let out a low whistle before they all then looked back to the floor.

"Now, what are going you do with that thing?" Jenny questioned, looking over to the Doctor.

"Take it back to the Jurassic era, maybe." He shrugged. "Out of harm's way."

They then watched as Ada crossed the floor, tapping with her cane before it landed on Mr Sweet, Ada then beating him to pieces.

Lexi cringed. "On the other hand... maybe not."

 _Outside, Street, Day_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Lucas and Clara all headed for the TARDIS, Jenny, Vastra, Strax, Ada and Marguerite standing there to say goodbye; Vastra holding the flask of the red poison.

"Right, London." The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "We we're heading for London, weren't we?"

"Was there any particular reason you had picked London to go to for your birthday, Glorious?" Lucas questioned, glancing at said woman.

"No." Lexi shook her head. "Just thought it'd be fun. Thought we all might... like it."

"I don't know about any of you," Clara began as she walked ahead of the group before turning around to face them. "but I think I've had enough Victorian values for a bit."

"Amen to that." Lucas agreed before walking ahead of her, Clara turning around again and following him to the TARDIS door. "I mean, I love traveling to these amazing times. It's like a field day for me. But, there has be a limit. You know, at some point."

"Couldn't agree more." Clara said, stepping into the TARDIS as Lucas held the door open for her.

"Well, you two are the bosses." The Doctor commented.

The two friends poked their heads out of the TARDIS, raising their eyebrows. "Are we?"

"Nah, I am." Lexi grinned, making the Doctor glance at her and quirk one of his virtually nonexistent eyebrows. "Now, go on. Get in."

The duo just laughed before finally going all the way inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Now, Ada," The Doctor began as he and Lexi turned back around and walked over to her, Marguerite and the Paternoster gang. "I'd love to stay and clear up the mess, but–"

"I know, dear monster." She cut him off, smiling slightly. "You have things to do."

"And what about you?" Lexi asked her.

"Oh, there are many things a bright young lady can do to occupy here time." Ada assured. "It's time I stepped out of the darkness and into the light."

"And on that note," Marguerite spoke up, walking up to where Lexi and the Doctor stood. "Glorious, I must point out, that you still have one more wish."

A look of realization crossed Lexi's face. "I do, don't I?"

"You do, indeed." Marguerite nodded. "Have anything in mind?"

"You know..." Lexi pursed her lips in thought. "I think... I think I know exactly what I want to wish for."

Lexi then leaned in to whisper in Marguerite's ear.

Marguerite smiled at her as they pulled away. "I think I can manage that." She then turned towards Ada and stepped up to her, gently taking her hands in hers. "We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Marguerite. If it is alright, I'm going to put my fingers on your temples. Just hold still, it won't hurt."

The Doctor glanced at Lexi curiously but then turned back and watched as glowing purple mist flowed from Marguerite's fingertips before swirling around Ada's head, said woman's eyes glowing gold for a moment before the white in them disappeared to reveal their beautiful natural color.

Ada then stumbled away from Marguerite, breathing heavily while squinting as she tried adjusting to the sudden brightness.

"You didn't..." Ada gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in shock. "I can... I can see!" She then looked to Marguerite. "How did you do that? Why?"

"Well..." Marguerite smirked slightly, glancing at Lexi before looking back to Ada. "Someone made a wish."

Ada grabbed Marguerite and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you."

Marguerite smiled, returning the hug before pulling away. "You're welcome."

"You used your last wish for her." The Doctor said, awed at his wife's selflessness in that moment. I mean, he knew she could be selfless, but it never failed to make him love her even more than he already did.

Lexi smiled at Ada. "Now you can go and see everything. Do anything you want to do."

"Thank you so much." Ada said before also taking Lexi into a hug.

Lexi hugged her back before pulling away. "You are going to be splendid, Ada."

Ada couldn't help but smile, a tear or two escaping the corners of her eyes as she walked off to where the Paternoster gang were standing.

"And now," Marguerite began as she looked at Lexi. "you can tell me what to do."

"You're not going back into your lamp." Lexi shook her head. "I've been thinking, and I don't want you to be trapped in there." She stated before turning slightly away from everyone to take Marguerite's oil lamp out from underneath her dress. She then turned back and held out the oil lamp to its owner. "You, Marguerite, are amazing. And I want you to go and do what you want. I want to release you from this lamp's hold so you can go and make your life what you truly want it to be. You've been doing whatever other people have wanted for over eleven hundred years. It's time for you to put yourself first."

"You... you really want that for me?" She asked, shakily taking hold of her lamp from Lexi as everyone watched them.

"Yes." Lexi told her, giving her arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "And you know," She glanced over at Vastra, Jenny and Strax. "I believe there are a few certain individuals who wouldn't mind having you with them."

Vastra smirked knowingly. "You would be very welcome to come and join our little household, Marguerite."

Marguerite shoved her lamp into the Doctor's hands before launching herself at Lexi and wrapping her in one of the tightest hugs she ever had. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me."

"Oh, I wouldn't speak so soon." Lexi giggled as they pulled away from each other, nodding towards the Paternoster gang. "You're probably going to get in all sorts of trouble with those three."

Jenny gasped, putting her hands on her hips even thought she was smiling. "We are not that bad."

"Whatever you, Jenny dear." Lexi rolled her eyes playfully. "And you know, we'll no doubt see you again at some point, so..."

The Doctor chuckled, handing Marguerite back her lamp before swinging an arm around Lexi's shoulders. "Thanks a million, as ever. Have some Pontefract cakes on us. Love Pontefract cakes!" He grinned. "Anyway, see you around. Shouldn't wander."

With that, the Couple of Time turned back to the TARDIS and started making their way to it.

Jenny quickly ran after them. "But, Doctor, Glorious, that man and woman - Lucas and Clara." She stopped in her tracks as the Doctor and Lexi turned back around to face her. "You haven't explained."

"Yeah, you're right. We haven't." Lexi smiled before turning back around and making her way to the TARDIS, frowning as she stepped up to the door. She ran a finger along the doorframe. "You need a good wash, Idris."

"That she does." The Doctor agreed before turning and walking towards his wife. "See you all again, eh?"

With that, everyone watched as the Doctor and Lexi entered the TARDIS, closing the door behind them.

Jenny sighed, shaking her head as she turned back around and made her way to where Vastra, Marguerite, Ada and Strax were.

"Another one for the vault." Strax said as Vastra handed him the flask of poison.

"Ah!" A voice exclaimed, making everyone turn to see Mr. Thursday walking towards them. "There you are. I called to see whether there had been any progr–"

Mr. Thursday stopped talking and watched as the TARDIS dematerialized, making his eyes roll to the back of his head before he fainted.

Ada raised an eyebrow as Vastra, Jenny and Strax didn't really react at all, while Marguerite couldn't help but smile as she held her oil lamp close to her.

* * *

 **A/N: There ya have it!**

 **I really hope y'all enjoyed that. And I really hope y'all liked Marguerite. ️**

 **And yes! Marguerite is now a member of the Paternoster gang!**

 **Anyway, I know I cut off the last little part of the episode where we get to see Angie and Artie figure out about Clara (and Lucas) being time travelers, but we're going to get that next. I'm saving it for a little filler chapter.**

 **So, I guess I will see you then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	44. The Couple of Time and an Empty TARDIS

**A/N: Here's a fun little filler chapter that is full of Gloronimo fluff! It gets slightly naughty, but it's not full on smut. ️**

 **It's not like I'm against smut. I mean, I've read it enough. I just can't bring myself to ever write full on smut with the Doctor and Lexi. I think y'all can definitely understand why.**

 **Anyway...**

 **P.S. ~ This filler chapter picks up immediately after " _The Crimson Horror_ ".**

 **Enjoy!** 😘

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"So you found Marguerite's lamp in this?" Lucas questioned, now back in his regular everyday clothes as he was holding the wooden box Lexi had found just outside of the Yorkshire marketplace with the carving ' ** _Let her free_** '.

"Yep." Lexi grinned, flipping a lever as she and the Doctor went about working the controls, both of them now back in their regular outfits as well.

"Mm." Lucas hummed, nodding before placing the box in a chair just as Clara came into the console room, now also wearing her own regular everyday clothes.

"Back home I'm guessing for the both of you." The Doctor stated, looking up from typing on a keyboard.

"I think so." Clara nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "Best to have a break if we've really been gone for over a month. Time never really seemed to exist when we were catatonic in that place."

"Well then," Lexi began as the TARDIS made a noise when it landed in the Maitland's driveway. "till the next Wednesday."

 _Inside, Maitland house, Foyer, Day_...

"The Glorious is so definitely the boss in that relationship dynamic." Lucas commented as he and Clara entered the house.

"And even though the Doctor won't say it," Clara added as she check herself over in the mirror hanging on the wall. "he definitely agrees."

Lucas just chuckled before he and Clara continued on into the house, the small monitor screen on the wall showing the TARDIS dematerialize outside.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"So, you're the boss, eh?" The Doctor smirked, coming up behind where Lexi stood at the console before wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

Lexi grinned as she leaned back into him. "You know it."

"And I do believe that I have some making up to do for the derailment of most of your birthday." He mumbled as he started peppering kisses along her neck. "You know, 'cause it was actually your birthday."

"Mm." She hummed in response, leaning her head sideways a bit to give him better access. "Hey, do you hear that?"

The Doctor paused, lifting his head from laying kisses across his wife's neck. "Hear what?"

"Exactly." Lexi grinned before turning around in his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. "No kids. No companions." She whispered, leaning in closely to where their lips were almost touching. "Just you, me, and an empty TARDIS..."

The Doctor smirked, moving his hands to grasp at her hips. "And what do you suppose we do with that?"

"Oh, you know..." She grinned, bringing her hand to the back of his neck so as to bring his face even closer to hers. "I think we can come up with a few things."

The Doctor grinned right back before crashing his lips to hers as they stumbled towards the corridor that led to their bedroom.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Kitchen, Day_...

Clara and Lucas entered the Maitland's kitchen, both of them then leaning on the counter as they tried to get back to reality.

Clara smiled slightly as she touched one of Artie's toys, a Transformer robot, that just so happened to be sitting on top of the counter, Lucas smiling as he watched her move the arms of the toy.

The two friends then looked over at the table, both of them straightening up after seeing what was on Angie's laptop.

The duo quickly walked over and sat down at the table as they looked at the screen which was currently displaying a group photo taken on the 1983 Soviet submarine showing them, the Doctor, Lexi and Sky with the crew.

Nervously, Lucas clicked underneath that to see a picture of himself, Clara, Lexi, the Doctor and Jupiter with Alec and Emma at Claiburn House in 1974.

"It's you two, isn't it?" Angie questioned as she and Artie suddenly came up behind where Lucas and Clara were sitting. "It's from the '70s, but it's definitely the both of you."

Clara bit at her thumbnail nervously. "Of course it's not."

"And that's also you two, from 1983." Artie stated, pointing at the Soviet submarine picture. "I found it at school."

"No, it's just someone who looks like us." Lucas stated, trying so badly to diffuse the conversation.

"And those two people," Angie began, pointing at the Doctor and Lexi in the picture. "are just two someones that looks like you guy's boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Artie tilted his head in thought. "Are they aliens?"

Angie glanced at her younger brother. "Why would they be aliens?"

"Well, he does have a bit of a chin." Artie Reason, pointing at the Doctor in the picture before pointing to Lexi. "And come on, that girl is made of legs!"

"She is pretty." Angie admitted. "But really, it's totally the time travel."

Angie then leaned in between Lucas and Clara before clicking on a third picture that was of Victorian governess Clara and Victorian tutor Lucas.

Lucas and Clara leaned forward, Clara squinting as they examined the picture. "That's not right."

"You both were in Victorian London." Angie said, suppressing a grin.

"No, we were in Victorian Yorkshire." Lucas shook his head before his eyes widened when he realized what he just said. He sighed, closing his eyes. "Dammit."

Angie hit him on the shoulder. "How come you didn't tell us?"

Artie smiled wide. "Time travel, that's so cool!"

Angie then gasped when an idea popped into her head. "Can we have a go?"

Clara's jaw dropped. "Can you have a what?!"

"We want a shot at the time machine!" Artie exclaimed.

"No, no, no, absolutely not." Lucas objected. "I mean, listen–"

"Okay..." Angie drawled out, cutting Lucas off. "or, you know, we'll just have to tell Dad that our nanny and god-brother are time travelers."

Lucas sighed as he hung his head in defeat while Clara's eyes never left the photograph of Victorian Clara and Lucas.

 _Inside, TARDIS, The Doctor and Lexi's bedroom_...

Lexi giggled as the Doctor's fingers ghosted over her bare skin while they laid in bed next to each other.

"That was..." Lexi breathed before turning on her side to look at her husband. "definitely worth the wait."

"Am I forgiven?" He smirked, pulling her flush against him.

"Maybe." She grinned, threading her fingers through his hair. "But, you know, I think I might need just a little more persuasion."

"Is that so?" He questioned before rolling the both of them over to where he was hovering over her. "You know, dear, you are just insatiable."

"Don't hear you complaining, though." Lexi grinned up at him as she ran her foot up the length of his leg.

"And you never will." The Doctor grinned back before leaning down and bringing their lips together in a searing kiss. His lips began to venture lower, but he stopped when the sound of a phone ringing was heard.

The couple glanced to the nightstand, Lexi's cellphone screen aglow with Lucas's name.

"Just ignore it. I'll call him back." Lexi waved it off before grabbing the back of the Doctor's neck and bringing him for another kiss, the both of them getting lost in the other again as the phone quit ringing. Again, the Doctor's lips began to travel southward as he continued to ravish his wife.

 _Ring! Ring!_

The Doctor grunted in frustration as he crawled back up the length of his wife's body. "Just answer it."

"Are you sure?" She questioned him before reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing her phone.

"Yes." The Doctor sighed as rested his weight on his forearms, not moving from his spot above Lexi.

"Okay." She shrugged before answering and putting the phone to her ear. "Hello, Lucas. Whatever can I do for you?" She questioned, listening for a moment and gasping when she felt the Doctor kiss her bare shoulder before moving to lay kisses across her neck as she continued to speak on the phone. "Uh-huh... They want to what?... You know, that is crazy. Just so you know..." She tugged on the Doctor's hair in warning as his mouth became more bold while nipping at her earlobe. The Doctor grinned, not even stopping what he was doing as Lexi's grip on his hair got tighter. "I'll, uh, see what, er, what we can.. You know what, Lucas? I'm gonna have to call you back."

With that, Lexi quickly hung up her phone before carelessly tossing it aside and gathering enough strength to flip the two of them over so she was now above the Doctor.

"Bad Doctor." Lexi tisked, the Doctor grinning up at her unashamedly. Lexi leaned down and rested her forehead against his. "You're lucky I like to play games."

"Well then, Lex," The Doctor began, smirking as he rubbed his hands down his wife's back before stopping to grip the soft flesh of her hips. "Game. Set. Match."

* * *

 **A/N: *blushes* I hope that was okay. ️**

 **So, I've been gone from this book for a while because I'm busy with college classes. I try to write as much as I can, but life does get busy. Y'all know that. ️**

 **Anyway, I don't know when I'll get the next episode published. I usually write little bits of the episode at a time before it eventually becomes complete.**

 **I'll write what I can when I find the time before getting it out you beautiful cupcakes!**

 **Now, with that that said, I suppose I shall depart from y'all for the time being and say that the next episode will be... " _Nightmare in Silver_ "!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	45. Nightmare in Silver: Part 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm glad to see that y'all enjoyed " _The Crimson Horror_ ". It was actually really fun to write. ️**

 **I'm also super happy to see that y'all liked the half-human/half-genie character of Marguerite! Which, now that she's a member of the Paternoster gang, it's not hard to tell that we're going to be seeing her again...**

 **FOR ALL YOU SPN FANS OUT THERE: Who all is happy/excited that Supernatural has been renewed for a fourteenth season?! That means they're gonna make it to 300 episodes!**

 **Sorry, had to fangirl there for a second.**

 **Anyway, I gotta say... that this episode you're about to read... well, it turned out to be a lot more fun to write than I originally thought! ️**

 **I hope you like the spin I put on it.**

 **So, without further ado, I very happily present to you... " _Nightmare in Silver_ "!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Outside, Moonscape_...

The TARDIS materialized on a rocky moonscape, an American flag planted in the ground as the Earth hung in the sky above.

The TARDIS door then opened and the Doctor stuck his head out followed by Lexi Clara, Lucas, Angie and Artie.

"Well, here we are." The Doctor announced, stepping out of the TARDIS with his arms spread out as the others followed him. "Hedgewick's World - the biggest and best amusement park there will ever be. And we've got a golden ticket!" He exclaimed excitedly as he stepped onto a rock while holding a shiny golden ticket above his head. "Eh, eh? Fun!"

"Seems a bit deserted." Lexi noted as she walked a few paces ahead, gazing around at the environment.

"Yeah." Clara agreed as she walked past Lexi. "And really? This is fun?"

"Your stupid box can't even get us to the right place." Angie spoke up, glancing over at the Doctor. "This is, like, a moon base or something."

"It's not the moon." The Doctor informed as he stepped down from the rock as Clara sat down on a different one.

"To be fair," Lucas chimed in as he took a seat next to Clara. "it does kind of look like the moon."

"Just dirtier." Artie added as he hopped up onto another rock.

"Hey, guys it's not the moon, okay?" The Doctor sighed. "It's a Spacey Zoomer ride, or it was."

Just then, a door opened in one of the larger rocks nearby before a man peered out.

"Psst! 'Scuse I." He whispered. "I don't suppose you happen to be my lift off planet?" He questioned. "Dave's Discount Interstellar Removals?"

"'Fraid not." Clara told him, crossing her arms.

"They were meant to be here six months ago." The man informed, frowning slightly before shrugging. "That's Dave for you, see, unreliable."

"Stay where you are!" A female voice suddenly shouted from a distance away.

"Oops." The man muttered with wide eyes before quickly ducking back inside the rock.

"Throw down your weapons and identify yourselves." The same female voice commanded before a group of soldiers entered the ride area, being lead by a female soldier.

Lucas and Clara quickly stood in front of the children as the Doctor and Lexi put their hands up.

"No. No weapons!" The Doctor shouted, holding up the golden ticket. "See? Golden ticket! Spacey Zoomer? Free ice cream?" He asked, lightly bouncing up and down, Lexi paying that no mind since it was... well, a Doctor thing to do.

"Who are you?" The female soldier squinted at him. "This planet is closed, by Imperial order."

"How's this?" The Doctor responded, quickly handing Lexi the gold ticket before pulling out the psychic paper and holding it out for the female soldier to see.

"Oh. Welcome, Proconsul." She said in surprise, lowering her gun. "I wish they'd told us you were coming. Any news of the Emperor?"

"Oh, the Emperor..." The Doctor trailed off. "No, no, none that you'd, er..."

"We pray for his return." She told him. "If there is anything you need, my platoon is at your service."

"Time to move it along, dear." Lexi whispered to him before taking a step back.

"Right!" The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Righty-oh, then. Well, carry on, Captain."

He then saluted before she returned it.

"Right then, Platoon, let's move out." She commanded. "On the double. Two, three, four! Two, three, four! Two, three, four!"

As the soldiers jogged away, the door to inside the rock opened again and the man from before stuck his head out. "Have they gone?"

"Yes." Lexi gave him a small smile, raising an eyebrow. "Mind telling us why you hid?"

"Uniforms give me the heebie-jeebies." The man answered, shuddering slightly. "Come on. They can't stop me being here, but they don't like it."

Everyone then followed the man to the doorway of the ride and paused when they saw what was before them.

"Ha, ha! You see?" The Doctor grinned. "I told you it was amazing. Well, it used to be. Still, an interesting sight to behold. Not a bad suggestion to come here, Lex."

Lexi pursed her lips in thought, just nodding at her husband's statement as they looked out onto what was once a large amusement park, now in the condition of being rundown and abandoned.

"It closed down." The man explained. "Wish I'd known that before I landed here." He muttered before shrugging. "Even still, let me show you my collection. Come along, follow me, this way. This way in, come on."

Lucas gestured for Angie and Artie to go ahead before he, Clara and the Couple of Time followed after them.

 _Inside, Webley's, Main room_...

The room was dark and slightly eerie with steps leading down from the entrance into the room that was lined with many wax replicas of different alien races, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. In the center there were also two worn couches that actually looked to be like they were once highly fashionable.

"Welcome to my show, Webley's World of Wonders." The man gestured around at the many wax figures. "Miracles, marvels and more await you. I am Impresario Webley." He introduced himself as Angie and Artie followed him down the steps, looking around at the room in wonder. "You see before you waxwork representations of the famous and the infamous." He stated as the Doctor, Lexi, Lucas and Clara followed them into the room. "Anybody play chess?" He enquired, the Doctor raising his hand. Webley's back was to the Doctor, so he didn't see. "Perhaps you, young man?"

Artie nodded. "Actually, I'm in my school chess club."

"Ah, follow me." Webley gestured, the Doctor sighing as he lowered his hand.

"Just let it go, dearie." Lexi giggled slightly, patting her husband on the shoulder as she walked past him to go and follow after Webley, the children, Lucas and Clara. "And besides, you've taught me to be better at chess than you."

"No I haven't!" He called after her, rushing to follow.

"Or have you?" She retorted as she turned to face him, making the Doctor stop in his tracks.

"Have I?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You tell me." She smirked at him before turning back around and continuing on her way, leaving the Doctor to follow after her.

 _Inside, Webley's, Chess room_...

"You know, you might be too sassy for your own good." The Doctor huffed at his wife as they entered another room.

"Maybe I want to be bad." Lexi winked at him before going and walking up behind Clara and Lucas, missing the flush of red that came over her husband's face before he quickly composed himself and walked up next to where she now stood.

"Now," Webley began, rubbing his hands together as they stood before a chess table with an empty chair on one side and a draped figure on the other. "let me demonstrate to you all the wonder of this age, the miracle of modernity. We defeated them all a thousand years ago. But now, he's back to destroy you. Behold, the enemy!"

"Cyberman!" Lexi gasped slightly when Webley pulled the drape off to reveal the oh-so familiar silver-colored robot as it raised its head.

"Get down!" The Doctor shouted as he yanked Clara down, who managed to get the kids down as Lexi and Lucas ducked as well.

"No need to panic, my young friends." Webley chuckled. "We all know there are no more living Cyberman." He said as Lucas cautiously stood back up, followed by Clara and the children while Lexi immediately whipped out her sonic and activated it before beginning to move around the Cyberman as she examined it, the Doctor doing the same. The two of them almost seemed to be in a choreographed dance as they examined the Cyberman while Webley continued to speak. "What you are seeing is a miracle. The six hundred and ninety-ninth wonder of the universe, as displayed before the Imperial court, and only here to destroy you - at chess." He frowned slightly when he saw the Doctor and Lexi still investigating. "Careful now. An empty shell, and yet it moves. How?"

Angie rolled her eyes. "Magic."

Lexi scoffed, standing up straight as she put her sonic back in her long emerald green coat. "Believe me, definitely not."

"Then what is it, oh glorious one?" Angie crossed her arms.

"What did I tell you on the ride to here." Lexi sighed. "It's just a title, it's not actually... You know what? Forget it."

"A single penny wins you five imperial shillings if you can beat this empty shell at chess." Webley told them, seemingly ignoring the exchange.

"I haven't got a penny, but I've got a sandwich." Artie offered, holding up a sandwich he pulled from his jacket pocket.

Webley nodded. "Alright, take a seat." He instructed, taking the sandwich as Artie sat down in front of the Cyberman. "It is free of all devices, and yet it has never been beaten." He stated as he opened a panel underneath to show there was nothing there. "Would you like to make the first move, young man?"

Artie moved his King's Bishop's pawn one space, the Cyberman then countering by moving its King's pawn two spaces. Artie then looked around the board for a moment before reaching for his King's Knight's pawn as Lucas raised a finger to warn him.

"Oh, no, Artie. No, don't do that, it–" Lucas didn't get a chance to finish before Artie moved the pawn two spaces, the Cyberman then moving the Black Queen, therefore checkmating Artie. "That's a fool's mate..." Lucas sighed as the Cyberman knocked over the White King. "Come on, I've taught you how to play chess, Artie."

"Obviously not very well." The Doctor commented as he put his sonic back into his jacket again.

"Oi." Lexi slapped the Doctor on the arm. "I sass my companion. You sass yours."

"Sorry, dear." He said quickly, rubbing the place where Lexi had slapped his arm.

"If you can tell me how it works, I'll give you a silver penny." Webley said as he ate the sandwich Artie had given him.

"I think... you do it with mirrors." Angie guessed.

"Hmm." The Doctor considered. "Mirrors... Clever girl. Well, let's see, hey? Low tech. It's a puppet. Monofilament strings, which means the brains are in..." He trailed off as he popped open a door in the Cyberman's chair to reveal a little man was sitting inside with a control box while he looked up at them. "Hello."

"Hello." He nodded. "I'm the brains."

"Hello." The Doctor nodded back.

"Give us a hand?" The Doctor helped pull him out. "They call me Porridge. Oh, it's good to be out of that box."

"For you, Miss, an Imperial penny." Webley smiled, producing the coin from behind Angie's ear. The girl blinked and took it with a slight smile.

As Webley headed back for the main room, Lexi tapped the Doctor's shoulder and pointed to the other side of the room, both of them watching as a swarm of tiny metal bugs slithered along on the floor. The Doctor quickly glanced at Lexi.

"Checkmate. I win." She said, smirking at him before tapping him once on the nose, then turning and following after everyone else.

" _Oh, you bad bad girl._ " The Doctor thought to himself before quickly running from the room to join everyone.

 _Inside, Webley's, Main room_...

"I have not one, but three Cybermen in my collection." Webley informed as they all walked into the main room, Webley removing a drape from over another Cyberman, Lexi scanning it with her sonic to see if it was truly inactive.

"Is that the King?" Angie asked when she saw a replica of a tall man dressed in robes and ermine.

"Emperor." Porridge corrected. "Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, etc., etc., the forty-first - Defender of humanity, Imperator of known space."

"He looks a bit full of himself." Clara remarked.

Porridge glanced at Clara, raising an eyebrow. "Don't say things like that about the Imperial family." He warned. "You can end up on the run for the rest of your life."

Artie tilted his head slightly. "They don't sound very nice."

Porridge just beckoned. "Go on. If the kids want to ride the Spacey Zoomer, then I can operate the gravity console."

Artie nodded in excitement which made Clara giggle slightly before the two of them walked out, Lucas following them with a shake of his head as Porridge, the Doctor and Lexi followed after them.

Curious, Angie looked from the coin in her hand to the statue until she heard her younger brother's voice.

"Angie!" Artie came rushing back before pulling her along towards the exit.

 _Outside, Spacey Zoomer ride_...

"Whoa!" Artie exclaimed while he and Angie floated in the air as Porridge, the Doctor, Lexi and Lucas looked on.

"Smile!" Clara grinned, taking out her camera phone before aiming it at Artie and Angie. "Say Spacey Zoomer!"

Artie laughed. "We're flying!"

"Having a good time?" Lucas chuckled, watching as the children laughed while they had fun in the air.

The Doctor and Lexi smiled at the sight, Lexi nodding for Porridge to turn off the antigravity, which then made the children fall gently back to the ground.

"I think that was the most fun I've had in my whole life." Artie nodded as Clara, Lucas, the Doctor and Lexi walked over.

"It was..." Angie began with a smile before she quickly changed it into a bored expression. "okay."

"Keep telling yourself that." Lucas said, putting his hands on the girl's shoulders as he came to stand behind her.

Lexi giggled as she shook her head at Lucas's comment before she pulled her sonic out again and began scanning the area, the Doctor watching her as she did so.

"Clara, Lucas, I think outer space is actually really interesting." Artie said to them.

"Right." Clara nodded as she, Lucas and the children began heading for the TARDIS. "Wonderful day out, but time to get the kids home."

"Yeah." Lexi muttered before standing up straight from scanning. "Well, actually, no."

"Not ready to leave, are we?" The Doctor questioned her as she walked over to him.

"What do you think?" She retorted.

"Okay, I don't like those looks." Lucas commented, walking back over to the couple. "You're talking to each other without actually saying anything. It's weird. What's going on?"

"Well, we are a bit strange." The Doctor replied, glancing at Lucas. "Is this news to you, Lucas?"

"No." Lucas shook his head. "Just thought I'd make an enquiry."

"Great." Lexi grinned, patting Lucas's shoulder before walking to address everyone else. "Alright, everyone, we're not going anywhere. For now."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Dunno." Lexi shrugged before walking back to the Doctor. "Reasons."

"And what reasons would those be?" Lucas asked, crossing his arms.

"Insects." Is all Lexi replied with, not looking up as she scanned the ground with her sonic.

"Insects." Lucas deadpanned.

"Insects." The Doctor nodded, clapping Lucas on the shoulder before going over to peer over Lexi's shoulder. "You know, dear, we should add these insects to our funny insect collection."

"We don't have one of those. Although, I want to start one. In fact, I want to start one right now." Lexi muttered back before shrugging. "And you and I both know I get what I want."

"You definitely do." The Doctor agreed as he gave both her shoulders a squeeze before the two of them headed off back towards Webley's room, the others following after them.

 _Inside, Webley's, Main room_...

"How long do we have to stay here?" Angie asked as she and Artie settled on the couches.

"Not long." The Doctor shook his head. "I'll wake you when we're ready to leave."

"Comfy?" Porridge asked.

"Sleep well." Clara smiled.

"Goodnight." Lexi called back to them as she left the room, followed by Lucas, Clara and Porridge, the Doctor following after them all and turning off the lights as he passed the switch.

It was only a couple of moments before the Doctor suddenly re-entered while holding his sonic under his face, the green light casting an eerie glow.

"Don't wander off." He warned. "I'm not just saying 'Don't wander off.' - I mean it. Otherwise, you'll wander off."

"And the next thing you know," Lexi began as she suddenly popped into view behind Angie and Artie, making them jump and glance back to see her knelt on the floor while holding her sonic under her face, the pink light casting an eerie glow. "somebody's going to have to start rescuing somebody."

"From what?" Angie asked, slightly frightened of the wild look in the woman's eyes.

"Nothing." Lexi grinned before getting to her feet and going to join the the Doctor by the door. "Nobody needs rescuing from anything."

"Remember, don't wander off." The Doctor warned again, pointing a finger at them.

"Sweet dreams." Lexi smiled before grabbing her husband's hand and dragging him out of the room.

Artie swallowed nervously, he and his sister sharing a look before they slowly settled onto the couches.


	46. Nightmare in Silver: Part 2

_Inside, Webley's, Chess room_...

"Mmm." Webley sighed, entering the chess room while eating the sandwich from Artie. "Total takings for the day: one sandwich." He spoke aloud while putting the chess pieces back in place. "Better than no sandwich, of course. Not as good as two sandwiches, or even a chicken–"

Webley gasped when the Cyberman's hands suddenly grabbed ahold of his wrists, gripping them tight.

"That's a bit odd." Webley muttered, trying to pull his hands free. "That's not funny, give me my hands back."

Just then, dozens of the small metal insects crawled out from the Cyberman and its arms before crawling over to Webley, said man trying to escape before crying out as the tiny metal insects began attaching themselves to his face.

" _Upgrade in progress!_ "

 _Inside, Webley's, Main room_...

"I hate the future, it's stupid!" Angie exclaimed, now standing as she tried to get reception on her cellphone. "There's not even phone service." She huffed, setting her phone on the table. "I'm out of here."

"The Doctor and the Glorious said not to wander off." Artie reminded her from his spot on the couch he was on.

Angie rolled her eyes. "They said that, and then they wandered off."

"I don't think Lucas and Clara would like that." Artie pointed out, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the couch.

"They're not our parents." Angie shot back before walking off and leaving the room, Artie calling after her.

"Don't leave me here!"

 _Outside, Hedgewick's_...

"Was this really the biggest amusement park in the universe?" Clara asked as she and Lucas walked with Porridge along some disused tracks that must've been used for either a ride or form of transport around the park. The Doctor and Lexi were ahead of them as they were inspecting and scanning, Lucas keeping a curious eye on them as they did so.

"Yeah." Porridge nodded, responding to Clara's question. "Hedgewick bought the planet cheap. It'd been trashed in the Cyber-Wars."

"Who were we fighting?" Lucas enquired as he looked away from what the Doctor and Lexi were doing.

"Cybermen." Porridge answered. "Technologically upgraded warriors. We couldn't win." He shook his head at the thought before continuing. "Sometimes we fought to a draw, but then they'd upgrade themselves, fix their weaknesses and destroy us. It's hard to fight an enemy that uses your armies as spare parts."

"You had to beat them somehow." Clara pointed out. "Or else you wouldn't be here. So how'd you do it?"

"Look up there." Porridge pointed up to the sky. "The corner of the sky. What do you see?"

"I don't see anything." Lucas frowned slightly, tilting his head. "No stars. Just... darkness."

"It used to be the Tiberion Spiral Galaxy." Porridge explained. "A million star systems. A hundred million worlds, a billion trillion people. It's not there anymore. No more Tiberion Galaxy. No more Cybermen." He sighed. "It was effective."

"That's horrible." Clara whispered sadly.

"Yeah." Porridge agreed. "I feel like a monster sometimes."

"Why?"

"Because instead of mourning a billion trillion dead people, I just feel sorry for the poor blighter who had to press the button and blow it all up."

A short distance away, Lexi frowned, stopping in her tracks as she looked at her sonic screwdriver. "Lucas? Clara?"

"Yeah?" The two friends looked away from Porridge to see Lexi and the Doctor walking towards them.

"Did either of you tell Angie she could go to the barracks?"

"You know we didn't." Lucas frowned.

"She hasn't." Clara agreed, biting her lip nervously. "Has she?"

The Doctor pointed at Lexi's sonic, said woman holding it up in front of her face. "She's just gone in there."

Lucas sighed, closing his eyes. "Great."

 _Inside, Barracks_...

"I can't fix this." A woman, Beauty, stated as she set a dismantled piece of equipment down on a bench while standing across from the Captain.

"It can't be broken." She replied, frowning. "It's a solid state sub-ether ansible class communicator. Just run the diagnostics."

"There's nothing left to diagnose. It's not broken. It's empty." Beauty told her. "All the components have gone."

"Well, you must have replacement parts." The Captain before turning and walking away.

"Not enough to build a new one!" Beauty called after her.

"Captain, the weather-controller is malfunctioning again." A bespectacled soldier, Brains, said as he approached the Captain. "There's storms, heat waves, snow."

Just then, Beauty came up behind the Captain and put a hand on her shoulder, pointing to the doorway.

"Hello." Angie greeted as she stood in the threshold. "I'm bored."

"Where's your big sister?" The Captain questioned her.

"Clara?" Angie said as she walked into the room. "She's not my sister. She's stupid. She's talking to Porridge."

The Captain raised an eyebrow, a slight smile on her face. "She talks to her porridge?"

"Porridge." Angie reiterated as she came to stand directly in front of the Captain. "You know, that little bloke."

The Captain's smile faltered before she went and put an arm around Angie.

"Come on, we need to have a chat." She told Angie as she lead her away from the others.

 _Inside, Webley's, Main room_...

Artie laid on the couch, wide awake in the dark as he was surrounded by the creepy statues.

"I'm not scared, if you're wondering." He spoke aloud as he sat up. "I just think I ought to turn the lights back on."

Artie then got up from the couch and walked cautiously over to the switch as he looked around nervously. He quickly ran the last bit to the switch and turned on the light before smiling at the accomplishment.

However, what Artie didn't see, was the Cyberman come up behind him before it put a hand over his mouth, muffling his scream.

 _Inside, Barracks_...

"So, tell me about the little bloke." The Captain said to Angie as they walked together.

"Well, you must have seen him." Angie told her.

"Angie!" Clara's voice suddenly shouted.

"Angie!" Lucas's voice shouted in much the same way Clara's did before they, the Doctor and Lexi appeared in the doorway.

"They always have to turn up and spoil everything!" Angie huffed as they strode over to her and the Captain. "I wasn't doing anything! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Alright, you listen here, little miss." Lexi said, pointing at Angie. "You have absolutely no idea how much trouble we're actually in. You are in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. You don't know your way around, much like the rest of us. So, I think it would be very wise for you to tread carefully and cut the attitude."

"Wow." Angie scoffed. "Mum Mode much?"

"You better believe it." Lexi took her, raising a finger. "Now, I th–"

Lexi was cut off when there was a loud crash from outside, making everyone turn to see a Cyberman standing in the doorway.

"Cyberman!" The Captain shouted, the Doctor and Lexi immediately pulling out their sonics and scanning it as all the soldiers scrambled for weapons and cover. "Attack formation!"

"Angie, get behind me!" Lucas exclaimed before nudging the girl behind him, he and Clara taking protective stances in front of her.

The Cyberman moved like a blur as the platoon tried to get into position.

"Attack formation, quickly!" The Captain shouted just before the platoon finally started shooting at the Cyberman. It was hit and knocked back by a couple of blasts, but soon it straightened.

" _Upgrade in progress!_ "

One moment, the Cyberman was there. In the next moment, Angie was screaming and Lucas and Clara were knocked against the nearest wall as the Cyberman left the room, Angie thrown over its shoulder.

"Angie!" Lucas and Clara shouted, scrambling to their feet before trying to run after her.

"Clara, Lucas!" Lexi and the Doctor quickly grabbed their companions and pulled them back.

"That was a Cyberman." The Captain panted. "But they're extinct!"

"We'll get her back." The Doctor assured them before Lexi quickly walked away from them and over to the Captain.

"Captain, a word, please." She said while putting a hand on the woman's arm and leading her off to the side. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong but, given the skill of your men, it's pretty easy to say that they don't do much fighting. Correct?"

"What do you expect?" The Captain sighed.

"Just... explain, please."

"We're a punishment platoon." She told Lexi. "It's why they sent us out here, so we can't get into trouble."

"Right." Lexi nodded once before walking a couple of paces away as she thought. "Alright, so... plan..." She stopped pacing and turned back to the Doctor. "You're the Proconsul. You know what to do. Lucas, with me."

"Where are we going?" Lucas questioned as he followed her, albeit a bit confused.

"I'm not letting anyone lose anybody today." Is all Lexi said before she crossed the threshold and exited the room.

Lucas stopped and cast a confused glance back at the Doctor, pointing at the general direction in which Lexi had gone.

The Doctor just made a shooing motion for Lucas to go ahead and follow after Lexi.

Lucas just sighed before then turning and jogging out of the room to catch up with her.

"So, what do we do now?" Clara asked worriedly, crossing her arms as she frowned.

"You heard what she said: Plan." The Doctor replied before clapping his hands together and turning to address everyone else. "Alright, everyone, here is what's going to happen." He said as he walked over to the Captain and took her badge of rank off her uniform before going and pinning it on Clara. "I am putting Clara in charge."

"But what about you?" Clara tilted her head.

"I'm your second in command." He replied to her, smiling a bit. "Think of this as practice."

Clara quirked an eyebrow in question. "For what?"

"Don't know yet." The Doctor shrugged. "We just have to stay alive long enough until the Glorious and Lucas get back."

Clara nodded slowly as she thought out her next words. "I feel... I feel like there's something... else you want to add."

"Yeah." He nodded. "It's just one tiny, minuscule little detail."

Clara eyed him careful. "Which is...?"

The Doctor smiled uneasily, putting his hands on her shoulders to make her look directly at him. "We kind of... have to not let them blow up the planet."

Clara blinked. "I may regret this next question, but... is that something they're likely to do?"

"I would say maybe not, but that's a blatant lie." The Doctor replied, taking his hands off her shoulders. "And usually I do lie about things. However, we don't have time to do that right now. We can't. Now, we need to get somewhere defensible."

"But what about the Glorious and Lucas?" Clara sighed. "Where have they gone?"

"To get Angie and find Artie." He answered. "And, since I'm trusting her with this, Lex has gone to look for funny insects for the collection we haven't started yet."

"Okay..." Clara nodded slowly, pursing her lips in thought. "So... you and I just need to stay alive and make sure the platoon doesn't blow up the planet... Easy enough, I guess... You know, in crazy world!"

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed, patting her once on the arm. "That's the spirit!" He exclaimed before turning around. "Come on, everyone, let's get to it!"

 _Inside, Webley's, Chess room_...

"Put me down!" Angie shouted, kicking as the Cyberman carried her into the room. "Put me down, I hate you!"

The Cyberman then set her on her feet, Angie then turning around to see Webley and Artie standing there motionless.

Webley looked up to reveal he had metal encasing one side of his face - kinda similar to the look of the Phantom of the Opera - and Artie had a blinking implant attached to his head by his ear.

"Artie?" Angie asked uneasily as she took a nervous step forward. "Artie, what's happening?"

"Please stand by." Artie told her, his voice a bit robotic. "You will be upgraded."

Angie screamed, Webley raising a finger to his lips and letting you see his arm had been converted as well.

 _Inside, Barracks_...

"So, what have we got?" Clara asked the former Captain as they and the Doctor walked, soldiers nearby unloading cases of weapons.

"Cyberiad class weaponry." She answered as she put a box on the ground. "I've taken it out of storage."

"Good. That's good, isn't it?" The Doctor asked cheerfully, not really paying attention where he was walking before he stumbled over a random box. He caught himself before he actually toppled to the floor, quickly straightening up and looking around. "You saw nothing."

Clara sighed, rolling her eyes at the Time Lord before looking back to the former Captain. "As I was saying, somewhere defensible. Where?"

The two women and the Doctor walked up to a large painted mural of Hedgewick's World.

"The beach, the Giant's Cauldron..." The former Captain pointed out the different park locations. "and Natty Longshoe's Comical Castle."

"Who names these things?" The Doctor muttered, squinting as he looked at the different locations.

"Real Castle?" Clara asked. "Drawbridge? Moat?"

"Yes, but comical." The woman nodded.

"We'll go there."

"Ma'am." The woman stiffened. "My platoon can deal with one Cyberman. And there are protocols if we cannot immediately find and destroy it."

"Blowing up the planet protocols?" Clara guessed.

"Respectfully, ma'am."

"Somewhere defensible, no blowing up the planet."

The former Captain went to argue until Porridge suddenly walked up to where they were. "She's your commanding officer now, isn't she, Captain?"

The woman stiffened and nodded. "Yes... sir."

Clara smirked before turning on her heel and walking off.

The Doctor smiled, looking to the former Captain and Porridge from watching Clara walk away. "Oh, she's turning out to be rather good, isn't she?"

With that, the Doctor grinned and rubbed his hands together before twirling around and following after Clara.

Once the Doctor and Clara were out of earshot, Porridge looked back to the former Captain. "You really saw a Cyberman?"

"We really did." She nodded.

"Have you reported it to the Imperium?"

"No communicators."

"So you're going to do what Clara says. And remember, the Doctor is her second in command. We all have to listen to the both of them." Porridge reminded her before sighing, glancing at the big painted mural of the amusement park. "Right then, let's all spend the night at Natty Longshoe's Comical Castle."


	47. Nightmare in Silver: Part 3

_Inside, Webley's, Main room_...

"Artie?" Lucas called out as he and Lexi ran into the room, finding the lights on and Artie missing.

"Artie?" Lexi repeated as she looked around.

Lucas and Lexi shared a look before the two of them hurried down the stairs.

"Glorious, look." Lucas said quickly, pointing when he noticed one of the little metal insects on a table by the couches.

Lexi squinted and bent down to look at it more directly. "Firstly, if anybody is watching this, those children are under me and my husband's protection. And considering he isn't with me at the moment, you've just got me. Well, me and my friend here." She corrected herself, pointing at Lucas with her thumb. "We're coming to get them. And secondly... little metal machine... you are absolutely beautiful." She smirked as she pulled out her sonic, scanning the little metal insect before then picking it up by the tail and twisting it this way and that. "You're not even a Cybermat anymore, eh? Last time I saw one of those it tried to hurt a friend of mine. No... You're definitely not Cybermats. You're... Cybermites."

She gently set the tiny metal insect in the palm of her hand before glancing at Lucas. "Follow me."

 _Inside, Webley's, Chess room_...

Lexi and Lucas entered the room, Lexi holding the Cybermite in her hand.

"Okay, so... missing Cyberman." Lucas noted as he saw the empty chair at the chess table where the Cyberman had once sat. "Must've been the one that took Angie."

"Probably." Lexi muttered as she used her sonic screwdriver on the Cybermite. "Now, going from past experience, there should be a local transmat link open to your home. And if I can find the frequency..."

Lexi held up her sonic just before she and Lucas disappeared in a flash of light.

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

"Hey." Lexi grinned as she and Lucas appeared in the base. "If life with the Doctor has taught me anything, it's that... well, that really shouldn't have worked."

"Glorious, help us."

"Artie?" Lexi spun around to see the two kids unresponsive, blinking lights flashing on the side of their heads. "Angie?"

"Webley?" Lucas said, making Lexi turn to see Webley with half of his face turned Cyber.

"We needed children, but the children had stopped coming." He said as he walked out from the shadows. "It was your idea to come here, was it not? You brought us children." He grinned madly, saluting by putting his right hand to his chest. "Hail to you, the Glorious, savior of the Cybermen!"

 _Outside, Castle_...

"What would the Empire do if they were alerted?" Clara asked as she, the Doctor, Porridge, the former Captain and the rest of the soldiers approached the castle.

"I told you, tell me to blow up the planet!" The former Captain insisted.

"After they got us off?"

Porridge scoffed. "Captain, you want to take that one?"

"No, ma'am." The former Captain admitted. "Just blow the sucker up."

"Drawbridge, moat." Clara smiled as they all came to a stop at the foot of the drawbridge, everyone gazing up at the castle. "Brilliant."

"With respect, ma'am," The bespectacled soldier, Brains, chimed in. "we ought to be hunting the creature."

Clara turned around to face Brains, raising an eyebrow at him. "The only reason I'm still alive is because I do what the Doctor says." She told him, putting a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, said Time Lord looking on at her proudly. "The only reason he is still even here is because he trusts the Glorious to get done what needs to be done. I trust her." She took a couple steps towards Brains. "Can you guarantee me you'd bring back my children alive and unharmed?" Brains shook his head, making Clara nod. "I trust the Glorious."

"You think she knows what she's doing?" The former Captain asked before looking to the Doctor. "Do either of you know what you're doing?"

"We'll have to get back to you on that." Clara responded before the Doctor could answer, grabbing said Time Lord's arm before tugging him along towards the castle and leaving everyone else to follow.

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

"As the battle raged between humanity and the Cyberiad," Webley spoke as he and Lexi stood on either side of a small table in the center of the room, Lucas watching them as he stood off to the side by Angie and Artie. "the Cyber-Planners built a Valkyrie to save critically damaged units and bring them here and, one by one, repair them."

"So, the people who vanished from the amusement park..." Lexi trailed off, narrowing her eyes at Webley. "they were spare parts for repairs."

"We've upgraded ourselves. The next model will be undefeatable."

Lexi gave him a mirthless smile. "Nothing is truly undefeatable."

"We needed children to build a new Cyber-Planner. A child's brain with its infinite potential is perfect for our needs. But we no longer need the children. The Cybermites have been scanning you and your husband's minds. They're quite remarkable. However, Glorious, your mind is exceptionally more interesting."

"And completely useless to you." Lexi scoffed, rounding the table to stand directly in front of Webley. "Cybermen use human parts. I'm not human. You can't convert non-humans."

"Oh, but you did used to be human, though, didn't you?" He asked, a smirk on his face. "The whole converting of only humans was once true. However, we've since upgraded ourselves. Current Cyber-Units use almost any living components."

Webley then opened his hands to reveal Cybermites before suddenly throwing them at Lexi, making her stagger backwards as they crawled up her body and attached themselves to her face.

"Glorious!" Lucas shouted, taking a step forward.

"Stay back, Lucas!" She cried out in pain while she bent over backwards against the table as she was 'upgraded'. She suddenly stood up with a gasp when the process was done, metal now webbed and blinking across the left side of her face.

"Incorporated. Yes." The new Cyber!Lexi grinned manically, her voice more seductively smooth. "Ah, unfamiliar pulmonary set-up. Nervous system hyper-conductive. Remarkable brain processing speed. Ooh, amazing!"

"Glorious, what's happening?" Lucas asked, breathing nervously.

Cyber!Lexi grinned, turning her head to look at him. "I'm sorry, the Glorious is unavailable at the moment."

Suddenly, Lexi's body jerked back.

"Get out of my head!" Lexi screamed.

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

Lexi suddenly spun around to find herself standing in a semi-dark place. Her mind seemed to be a neutral space with her side being a warm orangey color and her Cyber self's side being a cold blue.

Lexi narrowed her eyes at her Cyber self and strode to the middle of the space.

"Stop rummaging in my mind!" Lexi ordered.

"Just you try and stop me." The Cyber-Planner chuckled, walking over to join her in the middle. "Ooh, who are Lucas and Clara?" She considered the images flashing beside them. "Your Lucas and your husband's Clara. Why are you thinking about Lucas the most? Why are you thinking about them so much at all?"

"Enough!" Lexi glared.

"Fascinating." The Cyber-Planner muttered. "A complete mental block. Highly effective."

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

"Relax, relax." Lexi's Cyber-Planner self soothed as she sauntered around the Cyber-Lab, Lucas watching wide-eyed and clueless on what to do about this... thing that was controlling his friend. "If you just relax, you will find this a perfectly pleasant experience. You are being upgraded and incorporated into the Cyberiad as a Cyber-Planner."

Her head whipped to the side, and then it was the real Lexi speaking. "Get out of my head!"

Lucas just watched, stunned, seeing Lexi go at herself.

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

"What is this place? A network? A hive?" Lexi looked around the space, the Cyberiad. "You're getting signals from every Cyberman everywhere. How many of you are there?"

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

"Oh... this is brilliant!" The Cyber-Planner giggled. "I'm so clever already, and now I'm a million times more clever!" She grinned, spinning around the room. "And what a brain! Not a human brain. A former human brain. Human memories combined with... well, the memories of what you are now. Even still, I'm going to have to completely rework the neural interface, but this is going to be the most efficient Cyber-Planner!" She exclaimed as she leapt up onto the table, arms outstretched. She then pouted as a thought occurred to her. "Not really a great name, that, is it? I could call myself... Miss Clever!" She giggled again, Lucas shaking his head as he watched this unbelievable scene unfold. "So much raw data... Time Lords. There's information on the Time Lords in here!" She sighed in delight. "Oh, this is just dreamy!"

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

"Right." Lexi crossed her arms. "I'm allowing you access to memories on Time Lord regeneration."

"Quite a feat, considering you haven't even regenerated yourself." The Cyber-Planner smirked, crossing her arms like Lexi. "Oh... but there are memories in here of you walking through your husband's mind and seeing him regenerate into all the faces he's had in the past." She grinned as all the Doctor's past faces flashed behind them. She tilted her head as she considered Lexi. "Do you think you even have enough regeneration energy to change your face? I mean, after all, it was your children and your niece that helped make you the way you are now."

Lexi glared at her. "I think that is quite enough!"

"Oh, is it?" The Cyber-Planner raised an eyebrow at her. "I think all of this is very... fantastic!"

"I could try and regenerate now." Lexi threatened. "And if I'm successful, it would burn out any little Cyber-widgets in my brain, along with everything you're connected to. Don't want to. 'Cause you know, if I could be successful in regenerating, I wouldn't have any clue as to what I'd be getting next. Wow... Never really considered that thought that much until now... Still, I can try."

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

The Cyber-Planner snarled. "Stalemate, then." She declared as she strode across the room. "One of us needs to control this head. We're too well balanced."

Her body suddenly jerked back as Lexi momentarily regained control.

"What did you say?" Lexi asked. "No, no, no, I heard you. Rhetorical device to keep me thinking about it a bit more. Stalemate?"

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

"We each control forty-nine point eight eight one percent of this brain." The Cyber-Planner told Lexi. "Point two three eight of the brain is still in the balance. Whoever gets this gets the whole thing."

"...Do you play chess?" Lexi suddenly asked.

"The rules of chess are in my memory banks. You're proposing we play chess to end the stalemate?"

"You and my friend play chess to end the stalemate." Lexi corrected. "Winner takes all. Nobody can access that portion of the brain without winning the game."

The Cyber-Planner considered before then holding out her hand, the two of them shaking on it.

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

The Cyber-Planner chuckled darkly, turning to Lucas. "Your precious Glorious seems to think you can beat me at chess." She said. "You can't win."

"Yeah, well..." Lucas swallowed nervously as he stepped forward. "We'll see about that."

"You understand, of course," She said as she walked over to him. "when I do win, the Cyberiad gets her brain and memories. Every last bit of all the human and non-human things that have ever happened to her, or she's ever seen happen to anyone else. All of it."

"I don't like the sound of that." Lucas pursed his lips in thought for a moment before looking directly at the Cyber-Planner and pointing a finger at her. "So, here's what I want: When I win, you get out of the Glorious's head, you let the children go, and nobody dies. You got that? Nobody dies!"

The Cyber-Planner just smirked. "I'll get the board."

 _Inside, Castle, Gallery_...

"Er, ma'am," Brains said as he walked up to where Clara was striding along the gallery above the courtyard. "Missy said she saw something, and then she went quiet."

"It's on its way, then." The Doctor chimed in, not looking at them as he used his sonic to scan a few odds and ends that were laying by weapons the soldiers had laid out.

"Right." Clara nodded before turning and walking over to the former Captain. "Weapons, show me." She said, the former Captain then opening the case she had. Clara raised an eyebrow. "Only one gun?"

"Cybermen have been extinct for a thousand years." The former Captain told her. "Even one Anti-Cyber gun is a miracle. These things are hand-pulsars." She held one up before slipping it on like a glove. "Touch the back of a Cyberman's head, the electromagnetic pulse deactivates it."

"What's this for?" The Doctor asked, making them look to where he stood above another box.

The former Captain didn't answer.

Clara narrowed her eyes. "Just a mad guess here - it blows up the planet?"

"Implodes it." The former Captain corrected, the Doctor immediately taking one giant step back away from the box in question.

"Even better." Clara sighed.

"There's also a trigger unit." The former Captain added, holding a thin cylindrical device.

"I'll have that, then." Clara snatched it from her. "Is there any other way to activate the bomb?"

"It's set to respond to my voice." She answered. "I have the verbal code."

Clara narrowed her eyes. "You will not activate it without a direct order from me."

"I will follow my orders."

"Your orders come from Clara." The Doctor crossed his arms.

Brains cleared his throat, handing Clara a board. "You'll need to sign for that trigger unit, ma'am."

"Thanks." Clara smiled at him before she signed off on it.

"Mind if I take one of these?" Porridge asked, holding up one of the pulsars. "Might be handy."

Clara and the Doctor both smirked at the pun, but the former Captain just narrowed her eyes.

"Help yourself." She told him. "I'll teach you how to use it. Upstairs, now!"

As they went, the Doctor reached over and took one as well.

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

"There." The Cyber-Planner made her move on the chess board that had been set up on the table, Lucas watching her. "That was easy." She chuckled. "The game has just started. Lucas, do know why there are no records of the Glorious, the Doctor and their children anywhere in the databanks of the Cyberiad?" Lucas just raised an eyebrow. "Oh... She hasn't told you about having done that, has she? Oh, this is getting rather interesting, isn't it?" She grinned madly. "They're good. The dear Couple of Time have been eliminating their family from history. I wonder if they realize they can be reconstructed by the hole they've left."

"That is a good point." Lucas nodded, making a move. "I bet the Glorious has something up her sleeve, though. Something you won't see coming."

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

"The rules of chess allow only a finite number of moves, and I can use other Cyber-Units as remote processors." The Cyber-Planner said. "Your dear Lucas cannot possibly win."

"I may be putting a lot of faith in Lucas right now." Lexi admitted. "However, he has been in my life for far longer than he realizes. So, I know he must be capable of more. A lot more. And also... well, I know something that you don't."

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

"Oh, the things she's saying to me in here..." The Cyber-Planner tapped the side of Lexi's head as she looked directly at Lucas. "How well do you really know this woman you call your friend?"

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

Lexi scowled. "Did I say I was done?"

The Cyber-Planner tilted her head in question.

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

Lucas stared curiously at the Cyber-Planner as she just seemed to be staring off into space for the moment.

" _She must be talking to the Glorious._ " Lucas thought to himself before he then felt something nudge his foot and saw Lexi's foot on top of something gold and shiny.

The golden ticket.

Curious, Lucas cast a glance at the Cyber-Planner's motionless face before bending down to pick the golden ticket up.

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

"You really are a stubborn little thing, aren't you?" The Cyber-Planner asked as she circled Lexi.

Lexi smirked. "One of the most stubborn people to ever be stubborn."

"That is becoming more clear." The Cyber-Planner nodded, coming to a stop in front of her once again. "What did you mean when you said that you know something I don't?"

"Oh, you know..." Lexi waved her hand around aimlessly. "Something like the fact that very early versions of the Cyber operating system could be seriously scrambled by exposure to things like gold or cleaning fluid. Hm... I suppose life with the Doctor has taught me other things. But you know, that's not the interesting bit. The interesting thing, is that you're still running some of that code."

The Cyber-Planner snorted. "Really? That's the best you've got? You're secret weapon is cleaning fluid?"

"Nope." Lexi smirked, tapping the Cyber-Planner on the nose. "My first secret weapon is Lucas Harper. My second secret weapon... is gold."

 _Inside, Cybermen base_...

Her head jerked to the side, Lexi gritting her teeth as she tried to keep control. "Lucas, now!"

Wide eyed, Lucas looked from Lexi's face to the gold ticket in his hand before quickly slapping it onto the blinking metal on the side of her face.

Lexi jerked backwards, hurrying to regain her balance. "Oh, like a charm!" She grinned before looking to Lucas. "How did you know? I mean, I know I'm the one that discretely left the gold ticket out for you. But how did know how to use it?"

"Put two and two together, I suppose?" Lucas shrugged.

"Right." Lexi nodded before turning to where Cyber!Webley and the kids stood. "Cyber Webley, kids, let's get out of here."

"I guess I'll bring the chessboard, then." Lucas said before sweeping the pieces into his arms.


	48. Nightmare in Silver: Part 4

_Inside, Castle, Upper Gallery_...

"The only way you can report this now is to activate the bomb." Porridge said as he and the former Captain were talking.

"Yes." She nodded.

"And I forbid you to do that."

"I don't get it." Clara's voice suddenly spoke up, making Porridge and the former Captain look to see Clara and the Doctor climb up the stairs to join them. "Why would you blow up a whole planet, and everybody on it, just to get rid of one Cyberman?"

"Isn't it obvious, Clara?" The Doctor asked, gesturing to Porridge and the former Captain. "Why would they need to do something so... massive to get rid of one single Cyberman? It is, of course, because they've already tried other ways. However, they only work occasionally. So, now they take drastic action."

"And it works." Porridge said in confirmation.

"If you find a Cyberman and you can't destroy it immediately, you implode the planet." The former Captain nodded as she picked up the bomb. "I was sent here because I didn't follow orders. I can make up for that."

"Put it down!" Clara ordered. "I forbid you."

"Yeah, what she said." Porridge nodded.

"You ran away." The former Captain accused him. "I will do what I was brought up to do. Live for the Empire, die for the Empire." She took a deep breath. "This is Captain Alice Ferrin, Imperial ID one nine delta one three B. Activate–"

A Cyberman shot hit Alice suddenly, and she fell. Dead.

"Cyberman!" Porridge shouted as they all turned. "Get down!"

 _Inside, Castle, Halls_...

"Remember what I said." The Doctor spoke as he and Clara lead the soldiers through the castle. "We need to get somewhere easily defensible."

"But if we stay in the castle, it'll pick us off one by one." Clara pointed out, pausing as she turned to the Doctor.

"And what does that tell you we need to do?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her.

"...We have to take it out."

"Is that an order, ma'am?" One of the soldiers, a heavyset man named Ha-Ha, questioned her.

Clara glanced at him and nodded. "Yes."

"Good."

"You know what to do." She nodded to the pulsars.

"A pulse to the back of the head, fry the brain circuit interface." The Doctor reminded them all as he held up the pulsar he had, pointing at it. "Although, it is going to be hard to get in close enough."

 _Inside, Warehouse_...

A Cyberman lowered two soldiers to the floor before making its way towards Ha-Ha, who was standing just outside the door.

"I've heard about the Cybermen since I was in my cradle." Ha-Ha told the Cyberman as it approached him. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Now!" Clara shouted before Ha-Ha jumped out of the way, Clara then firing the pulse rifle and disintegrating the Cyberman.

Standing, Ha-Ha laughed in relief as Clara looked amazed at what she'd just done.

The two soldiers then suddenly stood, cyber-implants attached to their left ears.

"Hold it right there!" Ha-Ha shouted.

"What's happening to them?" Clara asked, nonetheless preparing to fire the pulse gun again. "One more step, and I fire!"

"Don't fire that." Ha-Ha quickly told her. "A pulse will deactivate them."

Suddenly, the Doctor and another soldier came up on either side of the two soldiers and used the pulsars on them before gently lowering them to the ground.

"And anyway..." Ha-Ha trailed off. "It's a waste of charge. We may need it again."

"So..." The Doctor began as he approached Ha-Ha and Clara. "Who wants to bet that wasn't the only one?"

 _Outside, Castle_...

Lucas ran up to the castle, only to throw up the chessboard in front of his face when Clara emerged with a huge pulse/ray gun.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot, I'm nice!" Lucas peeked out from behind the board as Lexi staggered along behind him, Webley, Angie and Artie walking more slowly. "Please don't shoot. Hey, Clara, I can see everything seemingly hasn't dissolved into complete chaos. Good job."

"Did you get the kids?" Clara asked nervously. "Are they alright?"

"Lucas..." The Doctor began slowly, noticing the webbed and blinking metal attached to the side of Lexi's face. "Please tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing."

"Ah." Lucas winced. "Yeah, about that, Doctor... Er, bit of a good news, bad news, good news sort of thing going on. So, good news: I've helped the Glorious kidnap the Cyber-Planner, and right now, we're sort of in control of this Cyberman."

"Bad news?" The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"Bad news, the Cyber-Planner's in her head." Lucas pointed to Lexi, who waved with a grimace. "And, different bad news, the kids are... well, it's complicated."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Complicated how?"

"Complicatedasinwalkingcoma!" Lucas said in a rush, hiding behind the chessboard again and moving aside.

Clara gasped, running forward to Angie and Artie before turning back around. "Please tell me you can wake them up!"

"We're hoping so." Lucas nodded. "Well, the Glorious and I are. It'd be contradictory if the Cyber-Planner was."

"Okay, Mister Harper, what is the other good news?" The Doctor asked, walking up to the side of Lexi as he eyed the blinking metal on the side of her face.

"Well, in other good news, there are a few more repaired and reactivated Cybermen on the way. And the Cyber-Planner's installing a patch for the gold thing."

Clara glared. "That is not good news."

"No, it isn't." Lucas nodded. "Okay, so good news: you're all depending on me to win my chess match!"

The Doctor blinked. "What?"

"We'll explain in a minute." Lexi winced. "Kind of in a hurry. It's upgrading." She then started up the drawbridge. "Get me to a table." She said before pausing to glance back at everyone. "And somebody tie me up! Need my hands free for chess." She then turned and started back up the drawbridge before pausing once again to glance back at everyone once more. "And immobilize me. Quickly."

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"Right, that's good." Lexi said, the chessboard now on a table in front of the throne.

"You shouldn't be able to move, but... hands free." The Doctor stated, not liking the situation as he and Clara tied Lexi to the chair, leaving her hands free. "Good."

"You're playing chess against her?" Clara frowned, glancing at Lucas where he sat on the opposite side of the table.

"And winning." He nodded.

"Well, I hope you're as good as you seem to think." The Doctor pat Lucas on the shoulder.

Lexi suddenly tore the golden ticket away from the webbed and blinking metal on the side of her face and giggled maniacally, twirling it between her fingers.

"Actually, he has no better than a twenty-five percent chance of winning at this stage in the game." She said in a very accurate American accent. "Some very dodgy moves at the beginning. Hello, Raggedy Man." She grinned at the Doctor, who was taken aback by the maniacal glint in her eyes. "Fantastic! I'm the Cyber-Planner."

"Lex?" The Doctor asked hesitantly.

"Afraid not, dearie." She sang. "I'm working the mouth now. Allons-y!" She tried that phrase out, only to shake her head. "No, that's not it. That was from the sticky-uppy hair one she saw in your mind... No, no, she's rather liked the use of... Ah, right... Love from Leadworth, baby!" She grinned. "That's the one. Oh, you should see the state of these neurons." She rolled her eyes with a snort. "She has had a cowgirl's experience in here. She's seen all ten of your rejects, Doctor. She's so good, that there's even a mental block that's keeping me from accessing a face that she hasn't had yet. A face that she isn't sure she'll even get to have at all... Oh, maybe I've said too much."

"You aren't the Glorious." Clara frowned as the Doctor squinted, glaring at the Cyber-Planner.

""No, but I know who you are." The Cyber-Planner smirked, reaching out and tapping Clara on the nose. "You're the Doctor's Impossible Girl." She then turned her head to look across at Lucas. "And you're the Glorious's Impossible Man. Both of you are the Couple of Time's Impossibles." She sighed with a meaningless smile. "Oh, they're very interested in you."

"Why are Clara and I impossible?" Lucas frowned.

"Haven't they told you?" The Cyber-Planner tilted her head in a mock innocent way. "The sly devils... Oh, dear me." She tisked. "Listen, soon we'll wake. We'll strip you all down for spare parts, then build a spaceship and move on."

"More Cybermen." Clara narrowed her eyes.

"They're waking from the tomb right now." The Cyber-Planner nodded, the Doctor turning silently to look at Clara. "You can either die or live on as one of us."

"We'll stop you." The Doctor warned.

"Ha!" The Cyber-Planner laughed. "You can't even help your own wife!"

Suddenly, Clara leaned forward and slapped her face. Her head whipped to the side, and she cried out in pain.

"Argh!" Lexi hissed. "Ow! Oh, that hurt."

"That good enough?" The Doctor smirked.

"Neural surge." Lexi winced, nodding. "Just what I needed. Thank you, Miss Oswald."

"You're welcome?" Clara said in confusion.

"Why are Clara and I impossible?" Lucas asked again with a frown, making Lexi turn her head to look at where he sat across from her.

"It's just a thing in my head." Lexi waved it off. "I'll explain later."

"Okay..."

"Chess game." The Doctor spoke, looking down at the chessboard on the table. "What are the stakes?"

"If she wins, I give up my mind and she gets access to all my memories which, I don't think I need to tell you but I will anyway, includes your memories as well as knowledge of time travel." Lexi explained to him. "But if Lucas wins, she'll break her promise to get out of my head and then kill us all anyway."

"That's not reassuring, dear!" The Doctor told her, mouth agape.

"Don't know why you're surprised." Lexi scoffed. "You know as well as I do what Cybermen can be capable of."

"Yeah." He admitted.

"Please tell me you can fix whatever happened to the children." Clara begged.

"Clara, I'm playing for Angie and Artie." Lucas tried to reassure her. "I may not be a professional chess player, but you know I'm good."

"See?" Lexi said, making Clara glance her way. "And until then, the children's brains are just in standby mode."

"That is not fine!" Clara exclaimed, slapping her hand down on the table.

"Listen, right now, they have a much better chance of getting out of this situation alive than you do." Lexi sneered.

Everyone looked over at her.

"Which one of you said that?" The Doctor asked.

"Me. Cyber-Planner. Miss Clever." The woman answered. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a chess game to finish. And you all have to die pointlessly and very far from home. Oh, and you, Doctor, have to die with the knowledge that you weren't able to save your oh-so glorious wife, and the knowledge that both of your children will never see either of their parents again." She put her finger in the center of the Doctor's forehead and pushed him back. "Toodle-oo."

"The only reason that I haven't smacked you unconscious," The Doctor said lowly, bending down as he glared at her. "is because you are in control of my wife's body. I'd very much like not to hurt her. You, however, are another story." He then stood back up straight before looking to Lucas. "Win, Mister Harper."

With that, the Doctor turned and exited the room without another word.

Clara gave Lucas a nervous look before then exiting the way the Doctor had gone, leaving Lucas to his literal life-or-death game with the Cyber-Planner.

 _Outside, Castle, Drawbridge_...

"Apparently there are more Cybermen on the way." Clara said as they rejoined the soldiers.

"There's at least a dozen more shots left in the gun before it needs to recharge." Brains stated.

"We might have way more than a dozen Cybermen to worry about." The Doctor said, frowning as he walked a few paces away.

Clara looked away from the Doctor before noticing a cable by the drawbridge. "What's that cable?"

"Power line for the park." Porridge answered.

Clara started to smile as the Doctor walked back over to them, the same expression on his face. "What would happen if we unhooked the end, dropped it into the moat, and turned it on?"

Ha-Ha smiled. "Fry anything alive that entered the water."

"And Cybermen can't fly..." The Doctor grinned. "Oh, this is brilliant!"

"This is definitely the first good news of the day." Clara said in agreement, beaming. "Do it."

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

As the Cyber-Planner and Lucas's chess match continued, the Cyber-Planner moved a white piece before she jerked back in her seat.

 _Inside, Lexi's mind_...

Lexi spun around as she became aware of herself being back in the Cyberiad.

"Stop that!" Lexi glared, the Cyber-Planner smirking cruelly at her. "I felt that."

"Of course you did." The Cyber-Planner chuckled. "It's time to get up. Wakey wakey, boys and girls." She sang. "Wakey wakey!"


	49. Nightmare in Silver: Part 5 - FINAL

_Outside, Castle, Courtyard_...

"There." Porridge said as he handed Clara a cup of soup. "Get that in you. Warm you up."

"Oh, thank you, Porridge." Clara said gratefully as she tried to warm herself up, lifting the cup to her lips as she glanced to the side. "Doctor, what are you doing?"

With his sonic pointed at a cup of soup, the Doctor looked up from where he sat cross-legged on the ground. "What? Haven't you ever seen a man sonic a cup of soup before?"

"Can't say that I have." Clara giggled slightly, taking a sip from her cup of soup. "Can't blame me for being curious, though."

"Well, forgive me for trying to find something to take my mind off the fact that our fate depends on Lucas winning a chess match against a technologically advanced and deadly cyber life-force that's taken over my wife's body."

Clara sighed, setting her cup of soup down before walking over and sitting down next to the Doctor, Porridge walking off to give them a bit of privacy to talk. "Look, I'm just about thirty seconds away from having my own mental breakdown. However, I have faith in Lucas."

"I do, too. Don't get me wrong, he's a good chap." The Doctor told her, deactivating his sonic before putting it back in his jacket. He then sighed, lifting his cup of soup to his lips. "It's just... usually I'm helping save everyone. But now, I feel kind of... helpless."

"You are definitely not helpless." Clara told him seriously, putting a hand on his arm. "But I get it. When it really comes down to it, you're just worried about your wife."

"You are exceptionally perceptive, Clara" The Doctor began, turning his head to look at her. "And also, we ARE going to free Angie and Artie."

"I know we will." She nodded with a small smile before the two of them looked straight ahead again. "After all, that is what all of us do. Save people."

The Doctor smirked at that, nodding his head while they gazed at the soldiers milling about as they set up a line of defense.

"Doctor! Clara! In here, now!" Lucas's voice shouted from off in the distance, making the Doctor and Clara glance at each other before they quickly got up and bolted towards the castle.

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"Hey, they're you both are." Lucas spoke as the Doctor and Clara ran into the room. "Quick run down, what's our weapons strength?"

"One big gun, five of those hand-pulsar units, and a shiny black bomb that implodes the planet." Clara counted off.

"Yeah." Lucas winced. "Yeah, that one. Now, I'm not an expert, but it should have some sort of remote triggery thing, right?"

"This thing?" Clara asked, pulling the trigger unit from her pocket before holding it up.

"Yes." Lucas nodded. "Brilliant. Pass it here."

"No." Clara shook her head, tossing the trigger unit to the Doctor, said man catching it before walking around the chess table as he eyed where the pieces were now placed on the board. "No offense, Lucas, 'cause you're not the one I'm weary about." She then let her gaze shift of to... Lexi? "I'm a bit iffy on Miss suddenly so silent."

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Clara." Lexi grinned, sticking her foot out and tripping the Doctor before catching the trigger unit as it flew out of his hand. "Your wife seems to think your clumsiness is cute, Doctor. But I see it as a major disadvantage for you."

The Cyber-Planner laughed giddily as the Doctor watched with wide eyes from his spot on the floor as she banged the trigger unit against the table, smashing it to pieces.

"What do you want?" Lucas glared at her as the Doctor got to his feet again.

"Oh, good news, boys and girls." The Cyber-Planner pointed towards the windows, a cruel glint in her eyes. "They're here!"

With wide eyes, Clara quickly ran out to go and check on the soldiers as the Doctor cast one last look at his wife.

Wait, no... Not his wife. This was not Lexi.

With a shake of his head and a near snarl escaping his lips, the Doctor quickly ran from the room.

 _Inside, Castle, Upper Gallery_...

"One gun, five hand-pulsars and a planet-smashing bomb that doesn't work anymore." Clara spoke a she leaned against the wall, the Doctor peeking out at the armada of Cybermen in front of the moat.

"Why not?" Brains frowned.

"Broken trigger unit." The Doctor answered before Clara could as he moved away from the window.

"But," Brains looked from the Doctor to Clara. "you signed for that."

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"I've learned so much from you, Glorious. It's been an education." The Cyber-Planner chuckled darkly, looking across at Lucas. "But now, it's time for the endgame."

 _Inside, Castle, Upper Gallery_...

"Here they come." The Doctor warned.

They all looked down as one of the Cybermen stepped into the moat and was electrocuted.

"Brilliant!" Clara sighed in relief.

Then it stood up straight.

" _Upgrade in progress!_ " The Cyberman announced before it and every other Cyberman marched into the moat.

"Damn." Clara closed her eyes. "Who's our best shot?"

"Probably it's me." Ha-Ha answered.

"Shoot any of them who make it across." Clara handed him the pulse gun. "The rest of you, take defensive positions. Porridge?"

"Yes?" He asked.

"Keep yourself safe." She ordered before looking back out at all the Cybermen outside. As Porridge hurried away, Clara glanced at the Doctor to see him fidgeting nervously. "Hey."

"What?" The Doctor asked, glancing at her.

"We got this." She assured him, smiling slightly.

The Doctor chuckled, just shaking his head as he looked back outside. "Only you, Clara Oswald, could be seemingly calm while facing an invasion of a possibly infinite number of Cybermen."

" _Seemingly_ being the operative word." She agreed.

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"They're nearly here." The Cyber-Planner smirked triumphantly at Lucas. "Now, you can take my bishop and keep limping on for a little longer. Or you can sacrifice your queen, and get the children back. But it's mate in five moves, and I get the Glorious's mind."

Lucas bit his lip in thought, glancing back at the children before nodding. "Take my queen and give me back the children."

The Cyber-Planner clicked her tongue in disappointment as she took the queen. "Emotions... Can't you see what a foolish move that was? You've lost the game."

"Kids, back, now." Lucas glared.

The Cyber-Planner sighed just before Angie and Artie suddenly fell to their knees. "Emotions..." She shook her head as Angie blinked, waking up. "All for two insignificant little human children. It was a pointless sacrifice anyway. Do you really think I'm just going to let all of you go? The Glorious barely even knows how to shield her mind." She tilted her head as she considered Lucas. "Tell me, Lucas, how do you think the children's death will affect the grand scheme of things?"

Just then, Porridge entered with the bomb.

 _Inside, Castle, Upper Gallery_...

"This way!" The Doctor shouted before grabbing Clara's hand, the two of them and Brains ducking into another hallway as Cybermen were chasing them.

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"Welcome to Webley's World Of Wonders, children." Cyber Webley said as he turned to face the Angie and Artie. "Now presenting delights, delicacies... and death."

The Cyber-Planner let a cackle in delight, not even bothering to hide her happiness in that moment.

"Lucas!" Angie screamed just before Porridge hurried over and applied a hand-pulsar to Webley's leg, making his cybernetics spark.

Webley reflexively kicked Porridge away, said man landing next to and hitting the base of the table.

"Angie, are you okay?" Lucas asked, glancing up from an unconscious Porridge before glancing back at the Angie. "Just look after Artie, darling, okay?" Angie quickly nodded before kneeling beside her brother. Lucas then looked back to the Cyber-Planner. "Stop this! Stop it now!"

 _Inside, Castle, Courtyard_...

Having made it to the courtyard, the Doctor, Clara and Brains, having been joined by Ha-Ha, all ran across as more Cybermen marched through the main gate. Ha-Ha fired the pulse gun at the head, but it was only knocked back.

" _Upgrade in progress!_ "

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"Okay, so it's your move." Lucas told the Cyber-Planner: "But before you take it, I just have to say that sacrificing my queen was the best possible move I could have made." He crossed his arms as he leaned back in his seat. "You know, evening tea with the Glorious and the Doctor can bring up some interesting conversation topics... Did you know that Time Lords invented chess? Apparently it's their game." He then crossed his arms before sitting up straight again. "And if you don't avoid my trap, it gives me mate in exactly five moves."

The Cyber-Planner tilted her head. "How?"

 _Inside, Castle, Courtyard_...

Clara picked up a mace to use against the Cybermen, the Doctor aiming his sonic at them as if that would help.

"I've got no charge left!" Ha-Ha exclaimed when he realized they'd used up all the power in the pulse gun.

The Cybermen began to advance on the quartet, said quartet backing away.

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"I asked you a question!" The Cyber-Planner shouted, banging her fist on top of the table as she glared at Lucas. "How?!"

 _Inside, Castle, Courtyard_...

Clara swung the mace at the lead Cyberman, said Cyberman grabbing the mace from her hand before throwing it to the ground as it continued to advance.

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"Oh, come on." Lucas scoffed. "And you call yourself a chess-playing robot?"

"How?!"

 _Inside, Castle, Courtyard_...

"Come on, Lex..." The Doctor whispered as he, Clara, Brains and Ha-Ha were backed towards the wall. "Now would be a great time for Lucas to show how impossible he can really be."

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

"I'm mean, really," Lucas smirked. "you should be able to figure it out. Do you not have the processing power?"

 _Inside, Castle, Courtyard_...

" _Please stand by - you will be upgraded._ " A Cyberman said as it (and others) had Clara, the Doctor, Ha-Ha and Brains pressed against the wall. " _Welcome to the Cyberiad._ "

The Cybermen all reached out their hands towards the four of them.

" _You will be upgraded. Welcome to the Cyberiad. You will be upgraded... You will be upgraded..._ "

The Cybermen then froze, their hands a fraction away from touching everyone's skin.

The Doctor sighed in relief, leaning his head against the wall with his eyes closed. "Thank you."

Oh, but it was not over yet.

 _Inside, Castle, Throne Room_...

Lucas tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the Cyber-Planner. "What are you doing?"

"Glorious. Glorious, Glorious, Glorious, Glorious, Glorious, Glorious, Glorious, Glorious!" She grinned, chuckling darkly. "I'm pulling in extra processing power. Three million Cyberbrains are working on one tiny chess problem. How long do you think it's going to take us to solve it?"

"That's cheating!" Lucas exclaimed, mouth agape.

"No, no, no, no, no." The Cyber-Planner waved a finger at him. "What that is called, is the pulling in of the local resources." She smirked evilly. "There's no way you can get to mate in five moves."

"Five moves!" Lucas insisted, drumming his fingers against the table. "I've spent enough time with the Glorious to learn certain things that I know for a fact would be lost on the rest of humanity. So, tell me, Cyber-Planner, can you really not figure out what I'm getting at?"

"You're lying!" She shouted.

"Oh, am I?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at her before reaching over and taking the hand-pulsar from Porridge's hand, said man still laying on the floor unconscious. "Move one, the Glorious is going to take control of her right arm." He watched with a smirk as Lexi's right arm suddenly twitched before it jerked to the left and reached into her jacket pocket before pulling out her sonic. "Move two, the Glorious is going to toss me her sonic screwdriver." He reached out as Lexi's sonic came flying at him, Lucas reaching out and catching it. "Move three, I'm going to turn on her sonic screwdriver." He did exactly that. "Move four, I'm going to activate the pulsar." He then used Lexi's sonic on the hand-pulsar. "And move five, I'm going to amplify the pulsar."

Lucas then slipped the pulsar onto his right hand before reaching across the table. The Cyber-Planner quickly used Lexi's left hand to stop Lucas's from reaching her face.

"See ya." Lucas just about growled out before pushing his hand forward and putting the pulsar to Lexi's face.

Lexi's body then jerked back as the energy ran through it.

"That's cheating!" The Cyber-Planner shouted before the cybernetics on her face sparked and she fell face-down onto the table.

Just then, the Doctor and Clara, followed by everyone else, ran into the room.

"Lex?" The Doctor ran to her side when he saw her face-down on the table. He quickly took hold of her head and lifted it to get a look at her face, revealing that the cybernetics were all gone. He tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ears. "Lex, come on, talk to me."

"Mm." She stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open to be greeted by the sight of her husband's concerned face. She smiled weakly at him. "Just had to take advantage of the local resources, dear." She cast a side glance at Lucas as Clara walked up behind him. "Thank you." She then looked back to the Doctor. "Mind untying me now?"

"You sure you're you?" The Doctor questioned her, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled, gently grabbing the side of his neck to bring his head down so she could whisper in his ear. "As sure as I am that I know you're actual name."

The Doctor quickly pulled back. "Good enough for me." He stated before going about untying her.

"Okay, I know what I did." Lucas spoke, standing up from his chair as the Doctor helped Lexi stand on her own two feet again. "But what did that cause, exactly? You know, where did the Cyber-Planner go?"

"Thankfully, out of my head." Lexi answered before stumbling a bit, the Doctor wrapping his arm around her to hold her against his side and keep her steady. Lexi shook her head, trying to clear it of the dizziness she felt. "However, now that she's out of my mind, the Cyber-Planner has been redistributed across three million Cybermen."

"So, putting two and two together, like it's that hard," The Doctor rolled his eyes at the thought. "All the Cybermen are about to wake up, kill us, and then start constructing a spaceship." He glanced at Lexi. "You good?"

"Yeah." She nodded, putting a hand on the chess table as the Doctor let go of her.

The Doctor looked her up and down, nodding once before then hurrying over to the bomb.

"Okay, so, we now need to destroy this planet before any of the Cybermen can get off it." He stated, scanning the bomb with his sonic before scowling. "It has a fallback voice activation."

"The captain." Ha-Ha nodded as Porridge awoke before sitting up. "But she's dead."

"Here." Lucas said quietly as he handed Lexi her sonic back.

"Thank you." She gave him a small smile, pocketing her sonic before directing her attention back to everyone else.

"I think you should ask Porridge." Angie stated, making everyone look over at her.

Clara blinked. "Why?"

"Well, he is the Emperor." Angie said in a 'duh' voice, Porridge closing his eyes at her statement. "I bet he knows the activation codes." At everyone's startled looks, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, it's obvious! He looks exactly like he does on the coin and on the waxwork, except they made him a bit taller, but... Look, am I the only one paying attention to anything around here?"

Clara smiled slightly. "You are full of surprises." She then turned to Porridge. "Porridge?"

"She's right." He sighed.

"So you can save us?"

"We all die in the end." Porridge shrugged. "Does it matter how?"

"What do we do?" Brains asked.

"I don't want to be Emperor." Porridge shook his head. "If I activate that bomb, it's all over."

"My mind has been damn near stretched to its limits today." Lexi spoke up, making everyone look to her. "However, I am able to think clearly enough and tell you, Porridge, that in the end, this is your decision. It's either activate that bomb, or three million Cybermen spread across the galaxy." She tilted her head slightly. "Isn't that worth dying for?"

Porridge considered, then sighed. "The bomb, the throne, it's all connected. I just have to say, 'This is Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, called Longstaff the forty-first, the Defender of Humanity, Imperator of known space. Activate the Desolator.' And it's done." The bomb activated, ticking. "It'll blow in about eighty seconds. Easily long enough for the Imperial Flagship to locate me from my identification, warp-jump into orbit, and transmat us to the State Room." He closed his eyes just before the throne room disappeared.

 _Inside, Ship, State Room_...

Everyone looked around as they were transported onto the Imperial spaceship, finding themselves on a wide observation deck while Porridge stood on a raised platform with a throne.

"Oh, yeah." The Doctor whistled, looking around as Angie ran to check on Artie. "Nice ship. Bit big. Not blue enough. Listen, there is a large blue box at coordinates six ultra nineteen P. I need it transmatted up here right away."

"Right." Porridge nodded, looking at the woman at one of the consoles. "Did you get that?" She nodded, and he turned back to looking through the large window and out at the planet. "And that's that. Seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine..."

The planet exploded, making the ship rock. Angie yelped as she and Artie crashed onto the platform. Lucas grabbed Clara before she could fall, the Doctor pulling Lexi against his chest to keep her steady.

"Farewell, Cyberiad." Porridge sighed. "You know, it was good to get away. Good to be a person and to not be lonely, or Emperor of a thousand galaxies with everyone waiting for me to tell them what to do."

"Can't you run away again?" Artie asked.

Porridge smirked. "They'll be keeping a close eye on me this time. That's what happens when you're Emperor. Loneliest job in the universe."

"You don't have to be lonely." Clara shook her head.

"I don't." Porridge stated, considering before turning to Clara and getting down on one knee while he remained on the platform. "Clara, will you marry me?"

Lucas gawked at that, the Doctor and Lexi having much the same expressions on their faces.

"What?" Clara blinked.

"He said–" Artie began.

"She heard what he said." Angie grinned.

"You're smart and you're beautiful, and I've never met anyone like you before." Porridge told Clara. "And being Emperor won't be as hard if you're by my side. And you'd rule a thousand galaxies."

The Doctor cleared his throat, leaning over Porridge's shoulder. "This sounds like an actual marriage proposal. Tricky. Now, if you want my advice–"

"Not another word." Lexi cut him off, yanking him back and making him stumble a little. "This is between Clara and the... Emperor."

"Thank you, Glorious." Clara gave her grateful smile before returning her attention to Porridge. "Porridge, I... don't want to rule a thousand galaxies."

Porridge smiled sadly, nodding and looking down, Lexi and the Doctor giving a thumbs up from behind him. "Yeah. Silly of me."

"I'm really sorry." Clara smiled apologetically.

"But that's stupid!" Angie stared at her as if she was insane. "You could be Queen of the universe! How can you say no to that? When someone asks you if you want to be Queen of the universe, you say yes. You watch. One day, I'll be Queen of the universe."

Porridge smiled at her, then turned to the Doctor and Lexi. "Of course, I could have you all executed, which is what a proper Emperor would do. What you did, Glorious, would be considered treason."

Lexi cringed, the Doctor's grip on her hand tightening. "You're not actually going to do that... Are you?"

Porridge just grinned and laughed, which Lexi returned. "Go on, get out of here, all of you, before I change my mind."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Thank you for having me." Artie shook the Doctor's hand. "It was very interesting."

"My pleasure." The Doctor winked.

"Also, Angie, I've got something for you." Lexi began as she emerged from the other side of the console. "Well, it's not actually from me. It's from the TARDIS." She then brought out a brand new cellphone from behind her back.

Angie grinned when Lexi handed it to her. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome." She nodded.

"Sorry I said this box was stupid." She smiled, shaking Lexi's hand before she and Artie headed for the door.

"Bye!" The Doctor waved as Lexi came to stand by his side.

"Bye." Angie smiled, waving. "Thanks, Clara. Thanks, Glorious."

"And thank you Doctor and Lucas." Artie added before he Angie exited the TARDIS.

Lucas and Clara then walked over to stand on either side of the Couple of Time. "Thank you, both of you."

"For what?" They asked.

"Kids day out." Lucas shrugged. "And you know, getting us off the planet alive."

"And also for whatever you were doing with the Cybermen, Glorious." Clara added. "Couldn't have been easy."

Lexi just gave her a small smiled, nodding.

"Anyway, suppose this is goodnight." Lucas said as he and Clara then headed for the door. "See you two next Wednesday."

As soon as the TARDIS doors closed behind them, the smile dropped from Lexi face before she turned around and walked to the console, holding a hand to her forehead.

"Lex, you alright?" The Doctor asked, concerned as he followed her.

"I've just got a splitting headache." She replied, putting her fingers against her temples. "Not really shocking, though." She muttered before turning around to look at her husband. "But you know, that's not what's bothering me."

The Doctor sighed and made a swatting motion, Idris flinging two of her levers into position and taking off.

The Doctor tilted his head as he considered Lexi. "What is bothering you, dear?"

"The same thing I know is bothering you." She told him, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the console. "Clara and Lucas." She shook her head with a bitter laugh. "Some of the things the Cyber-Planner said to me... I can't not think about it now. I mean, they're impossible. Your Impossible Girl. My Impossible Man."

"Mysteries wrapped in enigmas." The Doctor said softly in agreement, not looking as he intertwined his and Lexi's fingers.

" _What are they?_ "

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it!**

 **I really, really hope y'all enjoyed that. I hope I did okay with showing off the Doctor/Clara relationship and the Glorious/Lucas relationship. ️**

 **But, anyway...**

 **We all know what episode is approaching us... " _The Name of the Doctor_ "!**

 **I am so friggin' excited to write that. And I am even more excited for all of y'all to read it once I get it published!**

 **However, before we get to " _The Name of the Doctor_ ", I'm going to write and publish a four part mini-episode mini-series that'll serve as a sort of prequel to that episode.**

 **It's just... we're down to the last three episodes of this book, people!**

 **What we have left:**

 **• " _The Name of the Doctor_ "**

 **• " _The Day of the Doctor_ "**

 **AND**

 **• " _The Time of the Doctor and the Glorious_ "**

 **Suffice to say, we've got some major stuff on the horizon.**

 **Anyway, I guess that's all for now...**

 **Until next time! 😘**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	50. We Say: Part 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone!**

 **This is the first part of a four-part mini-episode mini-series that I'm basing off of the Doctor Who prequel for " _The Name of the Doctor_ ". I've just expanded it a bit in order to accommodate the additions of Lexi (A.k.a. The Glorious) and Lucas. ️**

 **Summary: In this part, Clara reflects on how little she actually knows about the Doctor, and about his greatest secret known only to one individual other than himself...**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _CLARA_

"One day you meet the Doctor." Clara spoke as she rounded the corner, emerging from a corridor. "And of course, it's the best day ever."

She giggled at the thought, shaking her head as she passed various artifacts that were in the room.

"It's just the best day of your life." She sighed fondly, walking past a table with the helmet of a Martian Ice Warrior on top. "Because... because he's brilliant, and funny, and mad, and best of all... he really needs you."

Clara smiled as she stopped next to a pillar, taking note of a Polaroid taped to it.

"Just ask his wife." She said softly, running a gentle finger over the Polaroid of Lucas and Lexi in front of the back of Caliburn House when they were trying to help Alec Palmer and Emma Grayling pinpoint the Caliburn 'ghost'. "The Glorious could tell you just how much she knows the Doctor needs her. But what she won't say... is how much she needs him."

Clara then smirked, walking a few paces ahead before pulling down the CASTLE POWER lever from Cyberiad.

"And once you start running," She began as she turned away from the lever, taking a a couple steps forward. "you start to forget. Slowly."

Clara crossed her arms before turning and resuming walking once more.

"And after a while," She started, then uncrossing her arms as she walked past the chess table with a Cyberman sitting behind it. "you just stop asking."

Clara came to a stop in front of an immobilized Doctor.

"Who are you?" She tilted her head as she gazed up at his face. "Where are you from? What set you on your way and where are you going? Oh... And what is your name?"

Clara then shrugged as the immobilized Doctor seemed to stare straight back at her.

"Yeah, used to not knowing." She sighed, turning her gaze away from him before quickly looking at him again. "I thought I never would... I was wrong."

Clara then turned around and walked a few paces away before abruptly turning back.

"I know who he is." She declared. "I know how he began and I know where he's going."

Clara smiled slightly in satisfaction.

"I learnt the truth about the Doctor and his greatest secret. The secret known only to one individual other than himself." She smirked knowingly. "But I don't think I need to tell you who that is."

Clara looked down at the floor for a moment, considering her next words before looking back up once again.

"I learned about everything." She stated surely. "The day we went to Trenzalore."

* * *

 **A/N: Ooh... Interesting, is it not?**

 **This little " _The Name of the Doctor_ " prequel series is shaping up to be really fun!**

 **Next, we have the second part.**

 **Read on!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	51. We Say: Part 2

**A/N: Here's the 2nd part of " _We Say_ "!**

 **And it's the Doctor! ️**

 **Summary: In this part, the Doctor reflects on how little he really knows of Clara and of her significance to not only him, but his wife as well...**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _THE DOCTOR_

"From the beginning, she was impossible." The Doctor spoke as he rounded the corner, emerging from a corridor. "The Impossible Girl."

He pursed his lips in thought, trying to process things as he passed various artifacts that were in the room.

"Of course, I can't say too much." He shrugged as he came to a stop before glancing off to the side and smiling slightly at the sight of Lexi's carved polymer clay journal laying on a small table next to a teacup on a saucer, the front of the journal displaying a blue owl in front a thirteen hour clock. "Lex has been dealing with this impossibly mad mystery for far longer than I have."

The Doctor shook his head before looking straight in front of him again as he continued deeper into the room.

"Still, I've joined her in the quest of finally figuring out what's going on." He chuckled softly. "Impossible Clara..."

The Doctor then came to a stop next to a burnt Dalek, said Dalek in a few different pieces given that it had been blown up.

"My mystery starts in the Dalek Asylum... I met Clara there." He said before he continued walking, waving his hand aimlessly as he talked. "I never saw her face, and she died."

The Doctor then came to a stop once more, now standing next to a manikin wearing Clara Oswin Oswald's Victorian gown.

"And then I met her again in Victorian London, and she died." He smiled slightly, picking a piece of lint of the dress. "Saved my life both times, by giving her own."

The Doctor then turned and walked a few paces away, hands on his hips.

"But now she's back and we're running together, and she's perfect." He smiled, looking down at the floor for a moment before looking back up. "Perfect in every way for me... Except she can't remember that we ever met."

The Doctor shrugged before turning and then walking a couple of steps and coming to a stop next to a pillar, Lexi's umbrella from Victorian London leaning against it.

"And I know it frustrates Lex, too. I mean, how can it not?" He said as he picked up the umbrella before gently swinging it like a bat in much the same way Lexi had at the glass globe containing the Great Intelligence when she took on the persona of one Dr. Johanna Watson. "She warned me that Miss Oswald would show up again... And of course, she was right. After all, she had her previous encounters with Mister Harper to go by."

The Doctor sighed, leaning the umbrella up against the pillar again before continuing on his way.

"Clara..." He whispered as he walked past the painting he had done in Cumbria in 1207 of Victorian Governess Clara. "My Clara..."

The Doctor then came to a stop in front of an immobilized Clara.

"Always brave, always funny, always exactly what I need." He pressed his lips into a thin line as he gazed down at her face. "Perfect... Too perfect."

The Doctor wrung his hands together while the immobilized Clara seemed to just stare straight at him.

"Get used to not knowing." He muttered, looking above her head before fixing his gaze on her face again. "I thought I never would... I was wrong."

The Doctor sighed as he turned around and walked a few paces away before suddenly turning back.

"I know who Clara Oswald is." He declared. "I know how she came to be in my life, and I know what she will always mean."

The Doctor smirked knowingly.

"I figured out everything... the day we went to Trenzalore."

* * *

 **A/N: Still want more?**

 **You've got the third part of this little mini-series coming up next.**

 **Read on!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 ** _~Maddy_**


	52. We Say: Part 3

**A/N: Here's the 3rd part of " _We Say_ "!**

 **And it's Lucas!**

 **Summary: In this part, Lucas reflects on how little he actually knows about the Glorious, and about something that she's never voiced to anyone...**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _LUCAS_

"One day, you'll meet the Glorious." Lucas spoke as he rounded the corner, emerging from a corridor. "And, it will no doubt be one of, if not the most strange day of your life."

He chuckled at the thought, smiling wide as he passed various artifacts that were in the room.

"You never quite know what's awaiting you once you step out of that gorgeous blue box." He sighed fondly, walking past a table with a large bowl of those luminous blue fruits from Akhaten. "And the Glorious... she takes it all as it comes. No matter what."

Lucas smiled as he stopped next to a bookshelf, taking note of how Lexi's carved polymer clay journal was now on a small stand and being displayed proudly.

"She's sassy and witty, she's mad and spontaneous, she's loyal and protective, but most of all... she's glorious." He eyed the journal, gently running his fingers over the cover. "It's tempting, isn't it?... Best not look in there, though."

Lucas then gently pat the journal once before walking a few paces ahead, coming to a stop in front of the chess table with the Cyberman.

"The Glorious is capable of more than she at first leads people to believe." He said as he picked up one of the chess pieces, twirling it between his fingers. "And then, when it comes time, she proves just how apt her title is for her."

Lucas sighed, setting the chess piece back down before turning and resuming walking once more.

"Your life will never truly be the same after you meet her and her husband." He stated as he walked past a female pirate's outfit, complete with a hat and sword. "Whether that turns out to be something good or bad... well, you'll have to experience it and decide for yourself."

Lucas then came to a stop in front of an immobilized Lexi.

"You are damn near fearless." He tilted his head as he considered her. "But that can't be completely true."

Lucas looked her up and down as he circled her.

"What goes on in that brilliant head of yours?" He asked as he came to a stop beside her, now looking at her profile. "Who are you, really? What set you on your way and where are you going? Or, better yet, where do you want to go?"

Lucas then walked the rest of the way around to stand directly in front of her once again.

"Why does the Doctor call you 'Lex' while nearly everyone else calls you by your title? Why do you prefer it that way?" He tilted his head as he gazed into her eyes. "You are a gloriously brilliant individual... There's never been anyone like you before."

Lucas bit his lip in thought as he looked down at the floor before looking back up again.

"Like I said, you can't be completely fearless. That's not possible. In fact, it's... impossible. Everyone's afraid of something." He crossed his arms as he continued to look at her. "So... what are you scared of?"

Lucas then shrugged as the immobilized Lexi seemed to just continue to stare straight back at him.

"You get used to not knowing." He sighed, uncrossing his arms. "I thought I never would... I was wrong."

Lucas then turned around and walked a few paces away before abruptly turning back.

"I know who she is." He declared. "I know how she began and I know where she's going."

Lucas smiled slightly in his own satisfaction.

"I learnt the truth about the Glorious and her greatest fear." He smirked knowingly. "The fear she hasn't voiced to anyone."

Lucas looked down at the floor again, considering his next words before looking back up once more.

"I learned about everything." He stated surely. "The day we went to Trenzalore."

* * *

 **A/N: Ooh... Ominous, right?**

 **Only one more part left of this prequel mini-series.**

 **Read on!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	53. We Say: Part 4 - FINAL

**A/N: Here's the 4th (and final) part of " _We Say_ "!**

 **And of course, it's our glorious Lexi Pond!**

 **Summary: In this part, 'the Glorious' reflects on how little she really knows of Lucas, and of his significance to not only her, bee her husband as well...**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _THE GLORIOUS_

"From the beginning, he was impossible." Lexi spoke as she rounded the corner, emerging from a corridor. "The Impossible Man."

She shook her head in disbelief as she passed various artifacts that were in the room.

"And to think," She began as she stopped next a manikin that was wearing the outfit she had worn on the seventeenth century pirate ship. "I've actually had a mystery, this impossible mystery, to wonder about for longer than even the Doctor."

Lexi smiled wide, taking hold of the sword that was attached to the belt of the red pirate dress.

"My mystery starts on a seventeenth century pirate ship where a misunderstood Siren was just trying to heal people that got even the slightest bit hurt... I met Lucas there." She said, brandishing the sword slightly before attaching it to the pirate dress's belt again. "He saved my life by relinquishing his own."

Lexi sighed as she continued walking before coming to a stop next to a pillar, taking note of the colored pencil drawing that was taped to it.

"I then met him again at Demons Run." She said softly, gently running her fingers over the colored sketch of a river running through a forest underneath a starry night sky, an accurate drawing of the planet Jupiter proudly in said starry night sky. "He died in my arms after saving my life by sacrificing his own."

She then quickly turned away from the pillar before walking a few paces ahead and stopping next to the burnt and blown up Dalek.

"And then you of course remember the Dalek Asylum... Where Lucas showed up yet again." She sighed at the memory. "I never saw his face then, but nonetheless he showed up, was amazing, and then died. Again."

Lexi then continued walking before coming to a stop once more, this time next to a manikin that was wearing Lucas Hawthorne Harper's Victorian suit and top hat.

"And then, a lot of years later, I met him for a fourth time. This instance taking place in Victorian London." She smiled slightly, taking hold of the top hat before tossing it in the air and catching it in her hands. "And, surprise surprise, he died again."

Lexi then just tossed the top hat over her shoulder, not caring where it landed.

"He saved my life all four times by giving up his own." She said as she continued walking. "Impossible Lucas..."

Lexi then stopped next to the chess table with the Cyberman sitting behind it.

"But now, he's back and we're running together, and he's perfect." She grinned, moving a piece and checkmating the inactive Cyberman. "He's perfect in every way for me... Except he can't remember that we ever met."

Lexi shrugged before then turning and walking a couple of steps and coming to a stop next to a small table, the glasses the Doctor wore in Victorian London resting on top.

"And I know it frustrates the Doctor, too. I mean, have you met him?" She rolled her eyes playfully at the thought, picking up the glasses and putting them on. "I warned him that Miss Oswald was going to show up again. And do you know what?... I was right. After all, I had two previous encounters with Mister Harper to look back on."

Lexi sighed, taking off the glasses and placing them back down on the table before continuing on.

"Lucas..." She whispered as she walked past the painting she had done in Cumbria in 1207 of Victorian Tutor Lucas. "My Lucas..."

Lexi then came to a stop in front of an immobilized Lucas.

"Always selfless, always brave, always exactly what I need." She tilted her head as she gazed into his eyes. "Perfect... Too perfect."

Lexi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while the immobilized Lucas seemed to just stare straight at her.

"I've gotten used to not knowing." She muttered, crossing her arms as she continued to gaze at his face. "I thought I never would... I was wrong."

Lexi sighed again as she turned around, walking a few paces away before suddenly turning back.

"I know who Lucas Harper is." She declared. "I know how he came to be in my life, and I know what he will always mean."

Lexi smirked knowingly.

"I finally figured out everything... the day we went to Trenzalore."

* * *

 **A/N: WOW!**

 **That was a lot of fun! ️**

 **I hope this little mini-series has gotten you excited for the upcoming episode. (The episode that I am now going to start work on.)**

 **Anyway, that's pretty much it for now.**

 **I suppose I will depart from y'all for the time being until... " _The Name of the Doctor_ "!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	54. The Name of the Doctor: Part 1

**A/N: Well, here we are...**

 **We're on to the finales!**

 **I've been so excited to get to this episode. I think y'all know/can guess why.**

 **And let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. ️**

 **Guest stars, anyone?**

 **~o0o~**

 **Guest Starring**

• _Emma Stone_ as Jupiter Pond

• _Richard Madden_ as Skyler "Sky" Pond

• _Rose Leslie_ as Marguerite

• _Alex Kingston_ as River Song

 **~o0o~**

 **Yep!**

 **Sky and Jupiter are back! So is Marguerite. AND so is River! ️**

 **Who's ready?!**

 **You're all in for a treat... *squeals excitedly***

 **P.S. ~ Writing the echoes and falling through the time tunnel got a bit difficult, so just go with it and try to have fun.**

 **Anyway...**

 **I very eagerly present to you... " _The Name of the Doctor_ "!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

~o0o~

Clara ~ " ** _You think you know how it all began?_** "

~o0o~

 **GALLIFREY**

 **A VERY LONG TIME AGO...**

 _Inside, Workshop_...

In some cluttered workshop, two men were hunched over counters as they worked on different projects. It wasn't a moment more until an alarm went off, causing both men to look up.

"Something wrong?" One of the men asked the other as he watched him walk over to a monitor.

"It's the repair shop." He responded, looking at a row of plain grey cylinders on the monitor. "What kind of idiot would try and steal a faulty TARDIS?"

Just then, an older man escorting a younger girl towards one of the cylinders appeared on the screen.

The Doctor's very first incarnation.

 _Inside, Repair shop_...

The Doctor let the younger woman enter first as he looked around nervously.

"Doctor?"

He quickly turned around to see a younger woman, a Time Lady, standing a few cylinders away.

"Yes, what is it?" The Doctor asked her. "What do you want?"

"Sorry." The Time Lady, Calliope, told him as she took a single step forward. "But you're about to make a very big mistake."

~o0o~

Lucas ~ " ** _Believe me, you have no idea._** "

~o0o~

 **LEADWORTH**

 **SOMEWHERE AROUND 32 YEARS AGO...**

 _Inside, Bookshop_...

Nineteen year old Lexi Pond walked the quiet isles of Leadworth's only bookshop as she was restocking the shelves.

It was a quiet day. Although, that really wasn't any different compared to... well, any other day in the tiny village of Leadworth.

"Glorious?" A voice asked from behind Lexi, making her pause as she was about to put another book on the shelf. She looked off to the side and saw a young man in jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt leaning against the bookshelf at the end of the isle. "Oh, I'm sorry. You went by Lexi at this point in your life, didn't you?"

Lexi raised an eyebrow at the man. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

Louis Harper smirked at her. "Not technically. Not yet."

~o0o~

 _Inside, Time tunnel_...

Lucas and Clara opened their eyes in the midst of the time tunnel, flames reflected in their eyes and determined looks on their faces as they fell downwards surrounded by fire.

Clara ~ " ** _We don't know where we are._** "

Lucas grabbed Clara's hand, each of them preparing to not make it out this alive.

Lucas ~ " ** _It's like we're breaking into a million pieces. And there's only one thing each of us can remember._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Corridor_...

Carolyn Oswald looked around wildly as she stood in a futuristic hallway.

Clara ~ " ** _I have to save the Doctor._** "

The sixth Doctor then walked across a corridor behind her. Carolyn whirled around, but he was already gone.

~o0o~

 _Outside, Venice 1580, Canal, Night_...

Leo Harper stood in the shadows while on the edge of a Venice canal, watching a peculiar sight.

Lucas ~ " ** _And I have to save the Glorious._** "

"What, Rory?" Lexi asked her future brother-in-law, sitting between him and the Doctor as Guido paddled the gondola to where they'd be able to sneak into the Calvierri school. "Would you rather me have gone inside instead of Amy?"

"Now, that is not what I meant." Rory said a bit defensively.

"Well calm down, then!" Lexi snapped at him, turning her head back to look straight ahead again.

~o0o~

Inside, Corridor...

Clara ~ " ** _The Doctor always looks different... but I always know it's him._** "

Caia Oswald ran down a corridor before veering off to the side into another corridor, just seeing the end of a long colorful scarf as the fourth Doctor disappeared around a corner.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Starship UK, London, Marketplace_...

Lucas ~ " **The Glorious has always looked the same... but you never quite know how she'll act in different situations.** "

Lowell Harper sat a café table. He wasn't drinking anything. He wasn't eating anything. Nothing like anyone at any of the other café tables were doing. No. He was watching as a red-headed woman in a hoodie and zebra print pajama pants was shouting to a man who held the hand of another woman. Another woman who looked just like her.

"Is this how it works then, Doctor?" Lexi shouted over to the Doctor as they were going off to investigate the inner workings of Starship UK. "You never interfere in the affairs of other people or planets unless there's children crying?"

~o0o~

 _Inside, Corridor_...

Clara ~ " ** _Sometimes I think I'm everywhere at once._** "

Colleen Oswald ran down a corridor until she came upon a door before looking through the window and seeing the seventh Doctor hanging from a ledge by his umbrella.

Clara ~ " ** _Running every second, just to find him._** "

She pressed against the window, pounding on the door. "Doctor!"

Clara ~ " ** _Just to save him._** "

~o0o~

 _Outside, Street_...

Lucas ~ " ** _For someone whose only had one face, the Glorious sure has had her life put in danger many times... Even when she had just barely begun._** "

With his hands in his pockets, Lyle Harper calmly walked down the sidewalk until he saw a speeding car.

Lucas ~ " ** _Sometimes she sees me._** "

Seven year old Alexis Pond calmly waited for her aunt and sister to come out of the bakery while she kicked around a few pebbles on the edge of the street. A normally calm street. She wasn't paying much a attention until she heard a car horn and turned too see a car heading straight for her. It was like she was a deer in the headlights until she was suddenly pulled back onto the sidewalk just before the car sped past.

With wide eyes, Alexis looked up at her savior. "Thank you, Mister."

Lyle just smiled down at her before then turning and continuing on his way.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Reception Hall_...

Lucas ~ " ** _Other times... she has no idea I'm there._** "

"Something old." Amy stated.

"Something new." Lexi confirmed.

"Something borrowed." Amy continued.

"Something blue." The twins both said as the magnificent blue box started to materialize in the middle of the floor.

Lucas ~ " ** _It's like I'm hidden in plain sight._** "

Sitting at a table amongst a sea of people, Lawrence Harper smiled as he watched Lexi and Amy hop over the table just as the TARDIS completely materialized in the middle of the reception hall.

~o0o~

 _Outside, Stonehenge_...

Clara ~ " _ **Sometimes the Doctor and the Glorious are apart.**_ "

Cloaked and hooded, Cordelia Oswald sat atop her horse a little ways away as she watched the spectacle of different alien ships floating in the air above Stonehenge.

"Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news, everyone..." The Doctor jumped up on a flat stone. "'Cause guess who?!"

Inside, Underhenge...

A lone Roman soldier, Leith Harper, peeked into a side room of the Underhenge to be met with the sight of an unconscious Lexi as she laid next to an unconscious Amy. Both of them out cold because of the drugs from a Cyberman.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Department store_...

Lucas ~ " _ **Other times... they're very much together.**_ "

Lloyd Harper and Cyra Oswald perused the isles of the department store. Well, more or so Lloyd was carrying Cyra's bags as she perused the isles. Both of them looked to side when they heard the lift door open.

"They must have linked the teleport relay to the lift, but I've fused it." The Doctor explained as he, Craig and Lexi walked out of the lift, Lexi pushing Alfie's stroller as they went. "They can't use that again. Stuck up there on their spaceship."

"What were those things?" Craig questioned.

"Cybermen." Lexi answered, pushing ahead of him with the stroller as she followed the Doctor.

"Ship? Space ship?" Craig asked, clearly shocked as he rushed after them. "We were in space?!"

~o0o~

Clara ~ " ** _It's like we're everywhere._** "

Lucas ~ " ** _Multiple versions of us... and we always see them._** "

~o0o~

 _Outside, London 1892, Street, Night_...

Clara ~ " **But they never hear us.** "

Clara Oswin Oswald and Lucas Hawthorne Harper chased after the Doctor and Lexi.

"Oi!" Clara called out to the couple, putting her hands on her hips. "Where are you going?"

"Yeah, we thought we were just getting acquainted with you both." Lucas agreed, crossing his arms.

The Couple of Time slowly turned around to look at the two friends.

Lucas ~ " ** _Well, they ALMOST never hear us._** "

~o0o~

 _Outside, Street, Day_...

Clara ~ " ** _I blew into this world on a leaf._** "

Two young men walked along the sidewalk, one attempting to read his newspaper as the other one seemed to be trying to fix his watch as it had stopped ticking.

Lucas ~ " ** _I came into this world because of a broken time piece._** "

Suddenly, a leaf flew right into one of the young men's faces, causing him to bump into the other young man and making the both of them stagger off the sidewalk and into the road.

Clara ~ " ** _I'm still blowing, and I don't think I'll ever land._** "

Before an oncoming car could hit them, two young women reached out and grabbed them, pulling them to safety.

Lucas ~ " ** _My time isn't broken anymore, and now it never stops ticking._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Time tunnel_...

Clara ~ " ** _I'm Clara Oswald, and I'm the Impossible Girl._** "

Lucas and Clara continued to fall in the seemingly endless 'tunnel' of fire.

Lucas ~ " ** _I'm Lucas Harper, and I'm the Impossible Man._** "

Clara and Lucas seemed to embrace what was happening to them. The result of what they had done. Together.

Clara and Lucas ~ " ** _We were born to save the Couple of Time._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Prison, Cell, Night_...

"Do you hear the Whisper Men? The Whisper Men are near." A man spoke almost in a mantra while squatting on the floor. "If you hear the Whisper Men then turn away your ear." He rocked back and forth slightly, causing the long chains that were cuffing his wrists to rattle. "Do not hear the Whisper Men / Whatever else you do / For once you've heard the Whisper Men / They'll stop and look at you."

The man then realized someone was outside his cell at the bars, making him turn around.

He pointed at his visitor. "One word from you could save me from the rope."

A veiled Vastra gave him a meaningless smile. "Then you may rely on my silence."

"I have information." He told her. "Valuable information."

"Are you bargaining for your life?" Vastra questioned him, tilting her head slightly as she squinted at him. "You have the blood of fourteen women on your hands. There are no words you can speak that will save your neck."

"The Doctor and the Glorious." He stated, startling Vastra and making her walk closer to the bars. "Oh, yes. I know all about them. Your dangerous friends."

"How?"

"In the babble of the world there are whispers, if you know how to listen." The man said as he stood up and walked to the bars. "The Doctor has a secret, you know."

Vastra crossed her arms. "He has many."

"He has one his wife will take to their grave. And it is discovered... Well?"

 _Inside, Vastra's home, Foyer_...

"We can't let that terrible man live." Jenny said as she took Vastra's cane.

"I don't think that's what she's getting at." Marguerite stated as she entered the foyer, casually sipping a cup of tea.

Vastra smiled at her, pushing back her veil. "And what do you think it is that I mean, Marguerite?"

Marguerite smiled back, placing her teacup on its saucer. "What I'm saying, Madame, is that you want Mister DeMarco to live until you understand what he said to you." She then lifted the teacup to her lips again. "It's really quite obvious."

"I knew I liked you." Vastra smirked before then turning to Jenny again. "We're going to need a conference call." She then handed Jenny her coat. "I'll send out the invitations, you fetch the candles."

"Of course, ma'am." Jenny nodded before turning and then going off into the hall to hang up her coat.

"I'll get in my lamp." Marguerite announced before then turning back around and walking off.

Vastra nodded before then turning and going after Jenny, coming to stand in front of her. "Jenny, where's Strax got to?"

"The usual." She answered. "It's his weekend off."

Vastra rolled her eyes. "I wish he had never discovered that place!"

 _Inside, Glasgow, House_...

" _Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!_ "

CRASH!

Strax and a large man both fell through a glass door. They both then quickly got to their feet.

"Come here while I kill you, you filthy wee midden!" The large man exclaimed, holding a large hammer.

Strax wielded a shovel. "Prepare to die in agony for the glory of the Sontaran empire!"

Both of them roared in preparation for attack until a young boy entered the room.

"Excuse me, Mister Strax?"

The large man and Strax both lowered their weapons and looked at the boy.

"What is it, girl?" Strax questioned him. "Can't you see I'm trying to crush the brains of this stinking primitive?" He then glanced at the man. "Sorry about this."

The man shrugged. "No problem."

"It's a telegram, sir." The young boy said, holding out a small piece of paper. "Very urgent!"

Strax frowned and took hold of the telegram, reading it. "Conference call!" He then handed the telegram back to the boy who then turned back around and left. Strax then turned back to the large man. "Sorry, Archie. I'm going to have to ask you to render me unconscious."

"Fine." Archie said eagerly as he lifted the hammer.

"Better use this." Strax told him, handing him the shovel. "It might take a while."

Archie nodded before then lifting the shovel and hitting Strax on the head, knocking him out.

 _Inside, Vastra's home, Parlor_...

Vastra sat at a big round table as Jenny lit a candle that was positioned in the center. Jenny then sat down next to Vastra as she blew out the taper.

"Sleep well, my love." Vastra said softly, putting her hand on top of Jenny's.

"You, too." Jenny nodded with a small smile before the two of them drifted off.

 _Inside, Marguerite's oil lamp, Bedroom_...

Marguerite sat calmly in the middle of her bed, relaxing herself for what she was about to do.

"Here goes nothing." She whispered before lifting her hand in front of her face, letting her glowing purple mist flow from her fingertips.

The mist then gently flowed towards Marguerite's head, bathing her face in it before she then passed out and fell backwards onto her pillows.

 _Inside, Dreamscape, Parlor_...

Marguerite suddenly sat up with a gasp, now finding herself in dreamy version of Vastra's parlor.

"Ah, Marguerite, thank you for joining us." Vastra greeted as she and Jenny sat next to her.

"No problem." She replied, gazing around the space. Things in the dreamlike parlor were a bit more out of focus. And the walls had a moving pattern like a cross between a lava lamp and a kaleidoscope. "Nice desktop, Madame Vastra."

"Yes, well, I was getting rather bored of the Taj Mahal." She replied just before a tea tray appeared in front of her.

"Tea?" Jenny asked as she and Vastra began pouring tea into a few different cups.

"I always enjoy tea." Marguerite smiled, nodding as Jenny handed her the teacup from where she sat next to her.

"It should be superb." Vastra informed. "It's drawn from one of my favorite memories."

Just then, there was suddenly a loud thud. Vastra didn't even look up from pouring tea.

"Strax!" She greeted. "Good of you to join us."

"It better be important." He grumbled. "I was in the middle of destroying some very pleasant primitives."

"I apologize for the interruption," Vastra told him. "but there is urgent news concerning the Doctor and the Glorious."

"Who else is coming?" He asked, looking around at the three females who sat before him.

"The women." Vastra answered, taking hold of her tea cup.

Marguerite smirked, lifting her teacup to her lips.

"And the men."


	55. The Name of the Doctor: Part 2

_Inside, Maitland house, Kitchen, Day_...

Clara hummed to herself as she took out various ingredients, mixing them into a bowl as Angie looked over from where she was working on homework at the kitchen table.

She groaned when she saw what Clara was doing. "Oh, no. You're going to try and make a soufflé again, aren't you?"

"My mum's soufflé, yeah." Clara nodded. "Although this time, I'll get it right. This time, I will be Soufflé Girl."

"How can it be your mum's soufflé if you're making it?" Artie asked, looking up from his own homework.

"Because, Artie, it's like my mum always said." Clara answered. "The soufflé isn't the soufflé. The soufflé is the recipe."

Angie snorted. "Was your mum deep on puddings?"

"Ellie Oswald was a great woman." Lucas cut in as he entered the kitchen, his teacher messenger bag over his shoulder. "I do miss her soufflés."

"They were pretty great, weren't they?" Clara asked fondly before frowning when she saw two envelopes sitting nearby. "Lucas, look at these."

Lucas frowned, walking over to Clara and taking the envelope she held out to him.

"They're addressed to us." Clara stated as she looked down at her own envelope.

"What are they?" He asked.

"Oh, they arrived today." Angie answered.

"If this envelop is for me," Lucas began as he held up his envelope. "then why didn't it get sent to my flat?"

"Don't know." Angie shrugged before looking back to her homework.

"We just know they're for you and Clara." Artie added before looking back to his own homework.

Clara and Lucas shared a look before flipping their envelopes over, both taking note of the wax seals. There was also instructions on the flaps that read: Open When Alone.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Clara's room_...

Lucas dropped his messenger bag by the door before tearing open his envelope, he and Clara walking around the room as they read their letters.

~o0o~

 ** _My dearest Clara and Lucas,_**

 ** _The Doctor and the Glorious entrusted me with your contact details in the event of an emergency, and I fear one has now arisen. So, assuming these letters have reached you both as planned on April 10th, 2013, please find and light the enclosed candles._**

~o0o~

With raised eyebrows, Lucas and Clara both pulled small candles from their envelopes.

Wondering why, they then looked back at the letters.

~o0o~

 ** _They will release a soporific which will induce trance states for you both, enabling direct communication across the years._**

~o0o~

Simultaneously, Clara and Lucas abruptly dropped the candles and hurriedly wiped their hands off before looking back at their letters.

~o0o~

 ** _However, as I realize neither of you has any reason to trust these letters, especially since they both arrived at where Clara is living, I've taken the liberty of embedding the same soporific into the fabric of the papers you both are now holding. Speak soon._**

~o0o~

Eyes wide, Lucas and Clara both looked up at each other before their eyes rolled up into their heads just before they both collapsed.

 _Inside, Dreamscape, Parlor_...

They two friends jerked up when they landed in chairs of some sort. Looking around they saw Vastra, Jenny, Marguerite and Strax sitting across from them at the big round table as well. Tea was also laid out.

"So glad you both could make it." Vastra smiled.

Clara looked around, surprised by the dreamscape. "Where are we?"

"What is this place?" Lucas whispered, looking around.

"It's exactly where you two were. You're just sleeping." Jenny answered as Vastra passed Clara and Lucas cups of tea.

"Time travel has always been possible in dreams." Vastra explained, lifting her tea cup to her lips. "We are awaiting three more participants."

"Oh, no." Strax groaned. "Not the one with the gigantic hair, the one with who has a comeback for everything, and the one who likes pears! Pears are an enemy of the state!"

Lucas blinked before looking to Marguerite, Jenny and Vastra. "Okay, what's wrong with him?"

Marguerite rolled her eyes. "That is a question I've yet to find an answer to."

"And first, Strax, it's hair." Jenny sighed. "And who cares if anyone likes pears? Just because you don't, doesn't mean everyone else shouldn't."

"And come on," Vastra smirked. "who doesn't love a woman that has a comeback for everything?"

Strax just huffed as if saying 'whatever'.

Suddenly, there were three puffs of smoke, one beside Clara and the other two beside Lucas.

Clara and Lucas blinked when they saw Jupiter and Sky, Jupiter wearing purple skinny jeans, a black knitted sweater and a grey infinity scarf; and Sky wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a nice jean jacket.

However, the Time Twins weren't what (or who) surprised them. The thing (or person) that had them confused was a woman in a white dress and robe with wildly curly hair.

"Madame Vastra." River Song smiled in greeting.

"Professor." Vastra nodded before then looking to Sky and Jupiter. "And how are you both this evening?"

"A little surprised that we were summoned here." Jupiter replied, folding her arms on top of the table.

"Especially since we just got done helping save the universe." Sky added, folding his arms on top of the table like his sister. "But you know, isn't that always the way?"

"I suppose it is." Vastra nodded, smiling a bit. "You know, for your family. Anyway, everyone, help yourselves to some tea."

"Why, thank you." River and Jupiter both wore identical smirks, River then creating a champagne bottle and flute for herself as Jupiter created herself a crystal tumbler filled with golden whiskey.

Jenny blinked. "How did you do that?"

"Disgracefully." River winked before taking a sip.

"Mum always likes whiskey. And you know, like mother like daughter." Jupiter shrugged before taking a drink.

"I... think I'll just stick with tea." Sky said before pouring himself a cuppa.

It was only then that River became aware of the two pairs of eyes gazing at her.

"Ah, perhaps you three haven't met." Vastra said. "These are the Doctor's and the Glorious's companions. That is -"

"Companions work." River assured her.

Jupiter snorted. "Do pray tell, as opposed to what?"

"Have you gone a darker green?" Strax asked.

Vastra just huffed. "Clara Oswald and Lucas Harper." She finished the introduction.

"Professor River -" River began.

"River Song." Clara's eyes widened, Lucas mirroring her expression.

River blinked. "They've mentioned me?"

"Well, the Doctor has. Once." Lucas replied, lifting his tea cup to his lips. "The Glorious, however, doesn't seem to want to speak of you."

"Not surprising." River shrugged, taking another sip of her champagne.

"Does sound like Mum." Jupiter agreed as she set her glass of whiskey down. "Now, why are we here?"

"Oh, yes. We really should get down to the business at hand." Vastra said, setting down her tea cup.

"That would be good, dear, yes." Jenny nodded.

Vastra then made a gesture at the air above the center of the table, making a projection appear.

"Clarence DeMarco." Vastra began. "Murderer, under sentence of death. He offered us this in exchange for his life."

River, Jupiter and Sky all raised their eyebrows as the projection changed.

"Space time coordinates..." Sky said softly.

Vastra nodded. "This, Mister DeMarco claims, is the location of the Doctor's greatest secret."

"Which is?" Clara asked.

"We don't know." Jenny shrugged. "It's a secret."

"The Doctor does not discuss his secrets with anyone, my dears, except with his wife." Vastra said. "If you're entertaining the idea that you're exceptions to this rule, ask yourselves one question. What is his name?"

"Well, what about you two?" Lucas asked, glancing at Jupiter and Sky. "Don't you both know it?"

Jupiter gave him a small smile. "Sky and I may be their children, but it would also prove dangerous if we knew. More danger than we already deal with. It's why he's only told Mum."

"So if their children don't even know," Clara began as she looked to River. "that means you definitely don't."

"Very quick, Miss Oswald." River complimented, nodding as Jenny jumped suddenly. "Anyway, they last saw me a long time ago. Sort of... Time travel is a complicated thing."

"They still never contacted you?" Vastra frowned.

"Neither of them like endings." River shook her head. "Our dear Glorious wasn't even there when it was time for my ending... Wasn't her fault, though. It came before the Doctor met her. However, I do remember when she finally did get to say a proper goodbye to me... Don't tell her I said that, though. She hasn't gotten there yet." She winked at them before looking to Vastra. "So, what else did this DeMarco tell you? He didn't just buy his life with some coordinates. How did he prove their value?"

"One word only."

"What word?"

"A word I've heard in connection with the Doctor and the Glorious before." She tensed. "Trenzalore."

Lucas looked at Sky and Jupiter, both of their faces devoid of emotion. Okay, so Trenzalore had to be something bad. He then looked to River and saw her face had drained of color.

River swallowed nervously. "How exactly did he describe what he was giving you?"

Vastra made a gesture, and a hologram of DeMarco appeared.

" _The Doctor has a secret, you know._ " The hologram said. " _He has one his wife will take to their grave. And it is discovered._ "

Sky took a deep breath. "I believe you've misunderstood, Madame Vastra."

Jenny swallowed. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. I just realized I forgot to lock the doors."

"It doesn't matter, Jenny." Vastra shook her head. "What misunderstanding? Tell me."

"No, ma'am, please." Jenny begged. "I should've locked up before we went into the trance."

"Jenny, it doesn't matter!"

"Someone's broken in!" Jenny blurted out, everyone else looking at her as she shook in fear, eyes wide. "Someone's with us. I can hear them."

"Jenny, are you alright?" Vastra took her hand.

"Sorry, ma'am." She swallowed. "So sorry, so sorry, so sorry... I think I've been murdered."

"Jenny!" Vastra gasped as she started to fade away.

"What's happened to her?" Lucas demanded.

"Jenny, can you hear me?" Marguerite asked.

"Speak to us, boy!" Strax demanded.

"Jenny!" Vastra cried as she disappeared completely.

"You're under attack." River stood from her seat. "You must wake up now. Just wake up! Do it!" She slapped Vastra hard, making the Silurian vanish.

 _Inside, Vastra's home, Parlor_...

Vastra woke with a gasp before quickly getting to her feet and seeing creatures with white faces, wearing Victorian style suits standing over Jenny.

"Who are you?" Vastra questioned them. "What have you done to her?!"

The creatures turned on Vastra and hissed.

 _Inside, Dreamscape, Parlor_...

"You, too, Marguerite. Now!" River tossed her champagne into Marguerite's face, making her disappear.

 _Inside, Vastra's home, Parlor_...

In a swirl of glowing purple mist, Marguerite flew out of her oil lamp that was on the fireplace mantle before manifesting and finding herself kneeling on the floor next to Jenny's body and Vastra, all three of them being surrounded by 'Whisper Men'.

 _Inside, Dreamscape, Parlor_...

"You as well, Strax. Wake up, now!" River quickly snatched Jupiter's glass of whiskey before tossing it into his face and making him disappear.

"We need to wake up." Jupiter said before quickly before turning to Sky. "See you in a second." She said before slapping her brother and making him disappear. She then turned to Clara. "Clara, slap me."

"What?" She blinked.

"Just do it!"

With wide eyes, Clara slapped Jupiter hard, making her disappear.

"Tell the Doctor. Tell the Doctor." An eerie voice hissed. "Tell the Glorious. Tell the Glorious."

"Tell them what?" Lucas looked up and around.

A hologram of Dr. Simeon, the Great Intelligence, then appeared over the table.

"Their friends are lost forevermore / Unless they go to Trenzalore." He answered.

"No!" River shook her head as the hologram vanished. "You can't say that! They can't go there, you know they can't!"

" _Angie?_ " The Doctor's voice suddenly broke in. " _Artie?_ "

"The Couple of Time can never go to Trenzalore." River whispered.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Clara's room, Day_...

Clara and Lucas bolted upright, panting as they looked at each other.

" _Am I getting warm? Angie? Artie?_ " The Doctor's voice asked from downstairs. " _Am I getting warm? Lex, you're supposed to help me!_ "

" _Oh, no, dearie._ " Lexi giggled. " _This is too good._ "

 _Inside, Maitland house, Back hall_...

Lucas and Clara rushed down the stairs to see the Doctor scrambling about blindfolded, Lexi sitting at the table and giggling.

"Am I getting warm?" The Doctor repeated. "Look, I'm pretty sure you have to tell me if I'm getting warm. I'm, I'm, I'm pretty sure that's in the rules!"

"Doctor?" Clara asked in surprise.

"Ha, Clara!" The Doctor turned to her voice. "How are you? Don't worry, everything's under control."

"Mate, what are you doing?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at him even though the Doctor couldn't see.

"Oh, well, Mister Maitland went next door, so I said I'd look after the kids. They wanted to go to the cinema, but I said no. I said no, not until you both wake up. I was very firm."

"And then, to my joy, they suggested Blind Man's Bluff." Lexi grinned.

"Where are they?" The Doctor turned, trying to find them.

Clara rolled her eyes, glancing at Lucas before then walking the rest of the way down the stairs and untying the blindfold. "At the cinema."

The Doctor blinked, then his jaw dropped. "The little..." He struggled to find the right word before finally settling on one. "Daleks."

"Lucas?" Lexi asked, getting up from the table before walking over to where he now stood at the foot of the stairs. Seeing a strange look on his face, she glanced at Clara to see the same expression on hers. She looked back and forth between the two friends. "I found it a bit strange that you both were seemingly passed out on the floor. But you know, none of my business... But, um, you two still looked a bit restless even while sleeping... What happened? What's wrong?"


	56. The Name of the Doctor: Part 3

_Inside, Maitland house, Kitchen, Day_...

"So, who was she? The lady with the funny name and the space hair?" Clara asked as she and Lucas worked together to prepare tea for all of them. They spared a look over into the sitting room to see the Doctor sitting on the sofa, shellshocked, with Lexi, holding her hand tightly.

 _Inside, Maitland house, Sitting room_...

"She's..." Lexi trailed off, rubbing her temple while rubbing the Doctor's hand with the thumb of her other hand. "She's... someone very... dear to us."

"What, like a close friend or something?" Lucas asked.

"No." Lexi shook her head, her hair falling in front of her face before she leaned her head back against the back of the couch. "Not really. Close, yes. But not technically a friend."

"Anyway," The Doctor cut in as he put his free hand on top of the one that was holding Lexi's, now holding her hand in both of his. "River asked Vastra for the exact words... What were they?"

"'The Doctor has a secret his wife will take to their grave. It is discovered.'" Clara answered as she and Lucas entered the sitting room, each holding two mugs of tea.

The Doctor closed his eyes, fighting back tears. Lexi quickly removed her hand from his to gently wipe his tears away before he laid his head on her shoulder as she held him tightly to her.

"Doctor?" Lucas asked quietly.

"Sorry." He sniffled.

"Oh, dear, don't be sorry." Lexi kissed the top of his head before looking up at Clara and Lucas, fighting back tears of her own. "And it was Trenzalore? Definitely Trenzalore?"

"Yeah." Clara nodded.

The Doctor swallowed. "Oh, dear." He quickly lifted his head from Lexi's shoulder and abruptly stood up from the couch. "Sorry." He apologized before running outside.

Lexi went after him immediately. Clara and Lucas went to follow her, but she stopped them.

"Don't." Lexi told them, her hands on their shoulders. "Just... give us a few minutes."

With that, she spun around and rushed out of the house, leaving a worried Lucas and Clara standing there.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Lexi walked down the stairs to see the Doctor sitting under the time rotor, his head in his hands.

"Trenzalore." Lexi repeated the name.

"I've heard it, of course." He sighed. "So have you."

"I remember." She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Suppose things catch up with you eventually, eh?... Dorium knew it would."

"And now that's where we have to go." The Doctor shook his head. "But why?... Why now?" He growled in frustration before standing up and storming over to Lexi, taking her face in his hands. "Why, Lex? Why do we have to go now?"

She put her hands over his as he held her face. "If I had a real answer, I would tell you." She then put a hand to his cheek. "But even I know you can't argue with time... No matter how hard we try."

"I don't want to leave you. You, or Jupiter, or Skyler. I'm not ready." He whispered, caressing Lexi's face with his thumbs. "I will never be ready."

"Neither will I." Lexi sniffled, the Doctor brushing away a few tears that escaped her eyes. "I made a promise a long time ago that I was never going to leave you... I just didn't think the roles could be reversed. I don't even know how long I can live now that... well, you know what River, Sky and Jupiter did to me."

"You changed your whole life for me." He whispered, bringing his head down to kiss her before pulling away slightly. "And look how I'm repaying you... If you go with me, it may end up proving to be your end as well."

"My dear Doctor, you don't ever have to repay me for anything." Lexi told him fiercely, her hands on the sides of his neck. "I chose to be with you... And I don't regret a damn thing. I will go with you and stand by your side through whatever the universe throws at us."

He nodded shakily, and this time Lexi brought his head down to kiss him.

The two of them then just stood under the time rotor, holding each other for a bit. A few fleeting peaceful moments before they heard the door to the TARDIS quietly open.

The Doctor swallowed, taking Lexi's hand before the two of them ascended the stairs to the main floor of the console room.

"You alright?" Lucas asked hesitantly.

"Not even a little bit." Lexi answered truthfully.

The Doctor let go of Lexi's hand, then grabbing a cable from the side of the console before turning to Clara. "Give me your hand." He told Clara, who obeyed. "Now, the coordinates you and Lucas saw will still be in your memory. I'm linking you into the TARDIS telepathic circuit. Won't hurt a bit."

Clara winced when he jabbed the cable into her hand. "Ow!"

"I lied."

"You couldn't have done that to Lucas?" She gaped at him, rubbing the palm of her hand.

"Oi." Lucas looked at her. "Thanks." He then turned back to the Doctor and Lexi. "Anyway, what is Trenzalore? Is that this big secret?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head.

"Then what is it?"

The Doctor sighed. "When you are a time traveler, there is one place you must never go. One place in all of space and time you must never, ever find yourself."

"Where?" Clara asked.

"'The Doctor has a secret his wife will take to their grave. It is discovered.'" Lexi reminded them. "DeMarco didn't mean the secret. What's been found is... our grave." She chuckled bitterly. "Well, would you look at that... Maybe my end is actually near. It still doesn't make complete to me, though..." She shook her head. "Sorry. Got lost in my own thoughts for a moment there."

The Doctor gave her a sad smile, taking her hand in his again before looking back to Clara and Lucas. "Long story short... Trenzalore is where I'm buried. And, by the sound of it, I believe Lex is there as well."

Lucas blinked. "But that doesn't make sense... How can you have a grave?"

"The story has to end at some point." Lexi shook her head. "All of us have graves out there somewhere in the future."

"The trouble with time travel, you can actually end up visiting." The Doctor said as he let go of Lexi's hand before the two of them went about the console, working the controls.

"And we're actually going to?" Clara said in confusion. "I mean, you did just say it's the one place you must never go."

"We have to save Jupiter, Sky, Vastra, Marguerite and Strax." The Doctor said. "Jenny, too, if it's still possible. They..." He took a quick look over at Lexi who suddenly found an interest in the sleeve of her long emerald green coat. He then looked back to Clara and Lucas. "Listen, after we were done raising Sky and Jupiter, we went to Victorian times. Vastra, Jenny, Strax... they cared for us during the dark times when we finally felt the full force of... well, a big loss. They never questioned us, never judged us. They were just... kind. And Marguerite, she wasn't there at that time. But... she helped us immensely at Sweetville. She deserves as much care as the rest of them. We owe all of them. We have a duty. So... no point in telling you this is too dangerous."

"None at all." Lucas nodded. "How can we save them?"

"Apparently... by breaking into our own tomb." The Doctor then flipped a lever, and something instantly went bang as the TARDIS resisted.

"What's that?!" Clara shouted as she and Lucas grabbed the console.

"She just figure out where we're going!" Lexi shouted as she and the Doctor ran around the console, working the controls. "She doesn't like it!"

"We're about to cross our own timeline in the biggest way possible! Of course she doesn't like it!" The Doctor shouted back. "Hang on! Hang on!"

Clara screamed as things exploded all over the place, Lucas pulling her out of the way just before something exploded by her.

The TARDIS then threw all four of them against the railings just before everything suddenly went dark.

Lucas looked up and around. "Did we land?"

"I don't think she wants to." Lexi shook her head as she looked over at the console. "She's shut down."

"So we're not there?" Clara asked.

"We must be close." The Doctor said as he headed for the door. He opened it and then looked down before whistling and making a face. "Okay, so that's where we end up."

Lexi walked over, her eyebrows raising when she saw the volcanic planet below. "Our liked our home in Islington better."

"Yeah... You know, I always thought maybe we'd retire." The Doctor said as Clara and Lucas joined them. "Take up watercolors, or beekeeping, or something... Apparently not."

"Please tell me we're not going to jump down there." Lucas said, a weary look on his face.

"Don't be silly, Mister Harper." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "We fall."

"Because that's much better." Clara drawled out as she closed the doors, following everyone back in.

"She's turned off practically everything, except the antigravs." The Doctor said, holding up his sonic screwdriver. "Guess what I'm turning off."

He then used his sonic, Clara and Lucas screaming as the TARDIS then suddenly plummeted. Everyone quickly grabbed onto the railings before they crashed hard enough to send them all to the floor.

"Ow." Lexi muttered, looking around. "Lucas? Clara?"

"Fine." Clara managed.

"I'm alright." Lucas winced as he crawled to his feet before helping Clara up.

 _Outside, Trenzalore, Cemetery, Night_...

The Doctor opened the door before looking up and noticing a crack in one of the glass panels. "Oops."

The Doctor then looked around before stepping out fully, followed by Lexi, who was then followed by Lucas and Clara.

They looked around, taking in the sight of the packed graveyard with gravestones of various sizes and shapes and the dark sky above with a lightening storm in the distance.

"You okay?" Clara asked as the Couple of Time looked around in distaste at the many gravestones. "You're visiting your own grave. Anyone would be scared."

"It's more than that." The Doctor shook his head. "We're time travelers... We've probably time traveled more than anyone else."

"Meaning?"

"I'm going to be a bit dramatic here, dear," Lexi began as she looked to the Doctor. "and say that the grave, our grave, is potentially the most dangerous place in the universe."

"Correct." The Doctor nodded, gesturing for her to loop her arm through his. "Shall we?"

Lucas then shut the TARDIS doors before he and Clara followed after them.

"Gravestones are a bit basic." Clara noted as the four of them walked through the cemetery.

"It's a battlefield." The Doctor shook his head. "Our final battle."

"Some of them are bigger." Lucas compared them.

"They're soldiers." The Doctor explained. "The bigger the gravestones, the higher the rank."

They all stopped when they saw the largest of them all - a police box with a light on top.

"It's a hell of a monument." Clara managed to say.

"It's... it's Idris." Lexi whispered, swallowing hard.

"That's actually the TARDIS?" Lucas's eyes widened.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "When a TARDIS is dying, sometimes the dimension dams start breaking down. They used to call it a size leak. All the bigger on the inside starts leaking to the outside. It grows. When I say that's the TARDIS, I don't mean it looks like the TARDIS. I mean it actually is the TARDIS. Our TARDIS from the future. What else would they bury us in?"

"But that doesn't make sense." Lexi shook her head, glancing at the Doctor. "Dorium said on the fields of Trenzelore, at the fall of The Eleventh and the rise of the Second. What could he have meant by that? I mean, don't you see where my confusion is coming from?"

"Clara. Lucas." A voice behind them hissed, drawing their attention away from the Doctor and Lexi and making them look around in surprise to see River standing there, just like she had been in the dreamscape conference call. "Don't speak, don't say my name." She warned. "They can't see or hear me. Only you two can."

"Well, come on, then!" The Doctor called as he and Lexi began walking further ahead.

"We're mentally linked." River added. "It's the conference call. I kept the line open."

"Who are you talking to?" The Doctor frowned, him and Lexi striding back over when they noticed they weren't being followed after. "We need to get -"

Lexi stopped dead in her tracks.

"River." She breathed, running over to one of the gravestones.

Lucas and Clara blinked, seeing the name River Song carved into the stone.

"That can't be right." Clara frowned.

"No, it can't." The Doctor agreed as Lexi traced River's name with her fingertips.

"She's not dead." Lucas shook his head.

"Oh, she's dead, I'm afraid." The Doctor replied. "She's been dead for a very long time."

Wide eyed, Lucas and Clara quickly looked over at River.

"Yeah..." She drawled out, smiling slightly. "Probably should've mentioned that. Never the right time."

"Doctor, why do you think her grave is here?" Lexi asked, standing back up straight.

Hissing whispers then suddenly started, Lucas whirling around with his eyes wide. "Guys!"

"These men must fall as all men must." A group of Whisper Men hissed as they approached. "The fate of all is always just."

The Doctor and Lexi simultaneously aimed their sonics at them, only for them to power down. As they smacked them against their palms, River leaned forward.

"If it isn't my gravestone, then what is it?" She asked.

Clara looked to the Doctor and Lexi. "What do you think that gravestone really is?"

"The gravestone?" The Doctor asked, distracted by the Whisper Men.

"Maybe it's a false grave." River whispered in Lucas's ear, making him jump.

He quickly recovered and looked over to the Doctor and Lexi. "Maybe it's a false grave."

"Maybe." Lexi looked around.

"Maybe it's a secret entrance to the tomb." River finished.

Clara's and Lucas's eyes widened before they shouted in sync. "Maybe it's a secret entrance to the tomb!"

"Yes, of course!" Lexi spun around. "It makes sense, actually. They'd never bury my niece out here."

"Your what?" Lucas blinked.

Ignoring him, the Doctor and Lexi quickly used their sonics on the gravestone, making the ground open underneath them and making them all fall into it as the Whisper Men hissed.

" _The wanderers who lie will lie no more / When the Couple of Time lies at Trenzalore._ "


	57. The Name of the Doctor: Part 4

_Inside, Tomb, Night_...

Vastra woke with a gasp on a dirt floor. She stood hurriedly and saw Strax and Marguerite next to each other against a wide square column.

Vastra then spun around to see Sky and Jupiter both propped up against another column on the opposite side. She looked up and around and saw a window high up and the dark skies through it. She then looked higher and saw the window was in the bottom row of three. The top window on the left was cracked. And above that were backwards letters that read POLICE.

Vastra continued to look around in amazement, realizing that they were between the inner and outer shells of the TARDIS.

Marguerite and Strax both then suddenly woke up, falling away from each other before they hurriedly got to their feet.

"This base is surrounded!" Strax exclaimed. "Lay down your weapons and your deaths will be merciful!"

"Oh, shut up, Strax. Please." Jupiter said groggily as she and Sky woke up.

"Very... dreary." Sky said, looking around as he and Jupiter got to their feet.

Vastra then spotted Jenny a little distance away before rushing over to her. "Jenny! Jenny!" She exclaimed, kneeling beside her.

"This planet is now property of the Sontaran Empire!" Strax continued to shout. "Surrender your women and intellectuals."

"She's dead." Marguerite said softly, her eyes closed as she held her hands above Jenny's body.

"Bring her back!" Vastra cried as Jupiter and Sky walked over to them.

"That's not how my magic works." Marguerite shook her head. "That is the one wish I can't grant."

"Then, Strax!" Vastra looked over to the Sontaran. "Come here and help me!"

Strax hurried over and scanned Jenny with a handheld device. "No heartbeat. Complete cardio-collapse, shock induced."

"Get her back for me!" Vastra gripped Strax's shoulder. "Get her back for me, or I will cut you into pieces!"

"Unhand me, you ridiculous reptile!" Strax shoved Vastra back, making her fall completely to the ground. He then held the device over Jenny's chest and activated it.

"There we go." Strax said just before Jenny coughed, Vastra stroking her face. "Just applied an electro-cardio-restart. She'll be fine."

"Are you alright, Jenny?" Marguerite asked, holding the woman's hand. "Can you hear us?" She asked, Jenny nodding slightly.

"The heart is a relatively simple thing." Strax shrugged.

"Actually, I think it's one of the most complicated things in the universe." Jupiter chimed in as everyone got to their feet again just before the Whisper Men appeared and started approaching with the Great Intelligence wearing the face of Simeon.

"I see you have repaired your pet." He said, coming to a stop in front of them. "No matter, I was only attracting your attention. I presume I have it."

"Doctor Simeon..." Vastra said in shock. "This is not possible."

"And yet, here we are, meeting again." He smirked. "So very far from home."

"Vastra, you said Simeon died." Sky said, looking away from the Great Intelligence for a moment.

"Simeon did die." She nodded. "But the creature that possessed him lived on."

"So you're the Great Intelligence, then." Jupiter spoke up as she took a step forward, Sky holding her arm to keep her back away from him.

The Great Intelligence smirked as he gazed upon the Twins of Time. "Welcome to the final resting place of the cruel tyrant and the blind follower. Of the slaughterer of the ten billion and the one who makes hollow threats. And the vessel of the final darkness and its dying ember... Welcome to the tomb of the Doctor and the Glorious."

 _Inside, Catacombs_...

"Where are we?" Clara asked as the Doctor found and lit a torch before removing it from the sconce.

"Catacombs." The Doctor answered, wrinkling his nose at the word as they began walking down the tunnel.

"I hate catacombs." Clara scowled before glancing at Lexi. "So how come Lucas and I met your dead niece?"

"You know, I don't think that's what we need to be asking." Lucas said as came up on the other side of Lexi. "What I'm curious about, is that if you have a niece... you must have other family."

"Not anymore." Is all Lexi said, shaking her head before walking ahead of them.

The Doctor sighed before falling in step next to Clara and Lucas as Lexi walked ahead of them, using her sonic as a flashlight.

"You know how it is when you lose someone close to you." The Doctor said as he now walked in between Clara and Lucas. "Well... River sort of made a back-up."

"I died saving the Doctor." River explained, making Clara and Lucas turn to see her behind them. "I died so he'd be able to eventually meet Auntie. Which, he obvious didn't understand at the time. Anyway, in return for me saving his life, the Doctor saved me to a database in the biggest library in the universe. Left me like a book on a shelf. Didn't say goodbye. Neither him nor Auntie like endings."

River's image then vanished as one of the Whisper Men broke through.

"Alright, come on!" The Doctor grabbed Clara's and Lucas's hands as they ran ahead to catch up with Lexi. "Run! Run!"

 _Inside, Tomb_...

"It was a minor skirmish, by the Doctor's blood-soaked standards." The Great Intelligence said as he looked out over the cemetery from the main entrance of the TARDIS. "Not exactly the Time War, but enough to finish him and his dear wife. In the end, it was too much for them."

"Blood-soaked." Jenny asked as the Great Intelligence turned around to face them.

"Our father has been many things," Sky began as he glared at the Great Intelligence. "but blood-soaked is not one of them."

"Your father." The Great Intelligence chuckled bitterly. "You think your family lives according to some moral high ground?" He took a step forward. "What about your father's victims, hm? Why don't you tell that to leader of the Sycorax. Or the Cybermen, or the Daleks." He tilted his head at Sky. "What about you, Skyler Pond? Do you not remember Solomon the trader? You helped your father eject him from the Silurian ark." He then let his gaze drift to Jupiter. "And you, sweet Jupiter Pond... What about Isaac and Kahler-Jex? You were the Marshal of of the small town of Mercy. Your actions caused a domino effect that lead two people to their deaths." He smirked evilly. "And your mother... Granted, she hasn't actually been the cause of someone's death. But she does threaten. Oh, does she ever... Madame Kovarian at Demons Run. She threatened to kill her there. But your mother is weak. She can never bring herself to follow through with her threats... Your family lives their life in darker hues... And your parents will have other names before the end. The Doctor, a.k.a The Storm. The Beast. The Valeyard. And the Glorious, a.k.a. The Defender. The Witch -"

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there." Jupiter cut him off, her hand raised and a scowl on her face. "Now, I'm going to ask you this: How did you come by any of this information?"

"I am information." He answered simply.

"You were a mind without a body, last time we met." Jenny said, frowning at him as she crossed her arms. "And I believe you were supposed to stay that way."

"Alas... I did." The Great Intelligence then reached up with his left hand and peeled away his face to reveal nothing within. He then removed his top hat just before his clothes fell to the ground. One of the Whisper Men then stepped into his place before the face changed to that of Simeon. "As you can see."

 _Inside, Tomb, Lower levels_...

"In here!" Lexi shouted, pulling open a metal door, letting Clara and Lucas run in first before the Doctor pulled her in with him before they then pushed the door closed on a Whisper Man's hand. They leaned back against the door, the hand in between them before it withdrew and allowed the door to close properly.

The Doctor sighed in relief. "Yowzah."

"This way?" Clara pointed up a metal staircase.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded before they all walked up it. "Still a bit of a climb. I think I remember the way."

The Doctor and Lexi walked down a corridor, only to stop when Clara and Lucas lagged behind, staggering.

"Lucas! Clara!" Lexi shouted as she and the Doctor ran to them as they leaned against a wall with their heads in their hands.

"Hey, it's okay." Lexi said softly, taking Lucas by the shoulders. "You're fine."

"The dimensioning forces this deep in the TARDIS, they can make you a bit giddy." The Doctor told them as he and Lexi helped them walk ahead.

"I know." Lucas nodded. "I know..."

"How do we know that?" Clara asked, her eyes filled with confusion.

"It's okay." Lexi promised. "You're both fine."

"Have we... have we done this before?" Lucas asked slowly.

"We've climbed through a wrecked TARDIS before... I remember." Clara whispered.

"You and the Doctor said things." Lucas pointed at Lexi and the Doctor. "Things we're not supposed to remember."

"We can't do this now." Lexi groaned. "The TARDIS is a ruin. The telepathic circuits are awakening memories you and Clara shouldn't even have."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK ( ** _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_** )

 _Inside, TARDIS, Engine Room_...

"Why do we keep running into you?!" Lexi shouted in frustration as she stepped towards Clara and Lucas.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tomb, Lower levels_...

Clara and Lucas groaned in pain, holding their heads in their hands.

"Clara. Lucas." Lexi said as she and the Doctor shook their companions slightly.

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK ( ** _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_** )

 _Inside, TARDIS, Engine Room_...

"Lucas, a while back I met you on a seventeenth century pirate ship. There was a man there who was the Quartermaster, and he sacrificed his own life to save me... And he was you." Lexi took a couple steps forward. "Then a little bit later I met you at a military space station called Demons Run. There was a soldier there who fought alongside me and my brother-in-law to help protect his and my sister's baby. That soldier pushed me out of the way and took a shot from a laser blast that was meant for me. He died in my arms... And he was you."

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tomb, Lower levels_...

Lucas's eyes snapped open. "Pirate ship... Demons Run."

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK ( ** _Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS_** )

 _Inside, TARDIS, Engine Room_...

Lexi laughed sadly, glancing down at her feet before looking back up at Lucas and Clara. "And then, oh and then... Lucas, Clara, the Doctor and I met you both in the Dalek Asylum. There was a man and woman in a shipwreck, and they died saving our lives... And they were you."

Lucas looked at her with wide eyes. "I really don't think they were."

"But, see, there was Victorian London as well." The Doctor spoke up. "There was a governess and a tutor who were actually a barmaid and bartender, and we all fought the Great Intelligence together, they died, and it was our fault... And they were you!"

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tomb, Lower levels_...

"Clara, Lucas, what's wrong?" The Doctor asked, him and Lexi looking back and forth between the two friends.

"What do you mean you keep running into us?" Clara asked, shoving the Doctor's hand off her shoulder. "You said we died! How could we die?"

Lexi stared at them. "That is not a conversation either of you should even remember!"

"Then why do we?!" Lucas asked, backing away from her. "What do you mean we died?"

The Whisper Men's hissing suddenly started up again. "The friends who died they tried to save / They'll die again inside their grave."

"Run!" Lexi shouted as she and the Doctor grabbed their respective companions' hands. "Run!"

 _Inside, Tomb_...

"The doors require a key." The Great Intelligence said slowly, facing the main doors to the 'inner sanctum' of the tomb as Jupiter, Sky, Marguerite, Strax, Vastra and Jenny stood a little distance behind them with the rest of the Whisper Men. "The key is a word. And the word... is the Doctor's."

"Here I am." The Doctor suddenly said before he and Lexi stepped in front of their children and friends, making the Great Intelligence turn around to face them. "Late to my own funeral. Glad you could make it."

"Are all of you alright?" Lexi asked, putting her hands on Sky and Jupiter's shoulders, glancing over at the four members of the Paternoster gang.

They all nodded, Lexi then turning back to look at the Great Intelligence.

"Open the door, Doctor." He said. "Speak and open your tomb."

"No." He said bluntly.

"Because you know what's in there?"

"I will not open those doors."

"The key is a word lost to time." The Great Intelligence stated. "A secret hidden in the deepest shadow, and known to you and your wife alone. The answer to a question."

"I will not open our tomb." The Doctor snarled, stepping forward.

Simeon (The Great Intelligence) just gave a cruel smirk. "Doctor... what is your name?" He questioned, the Doctor staring defiantly at him. The Great Intelligence raised a clenched fist. "His wife, their children, and their friends... Stop their hearts."

The Whisper Men hissed, and Strax straightened. "Madam, boys, girls, combat formation. They are unarmed!"

"So are we!" Jenny protested.

"Do not divulge our military secrets!"

"Stop this!" The Doctor turned to Simeon as Marguerite narrowed her eyes, attempting to shoot one of the Whisper Men with her glowing purple mist, only for it to have no affect whatsoever. "Leave them alone!"

"Your name, Doctor." The Great Intelligence growled. "Answer me!"

"Doctor?" Clara asked nervously.

Strax picked up a piece of pipe and, with a cry, struck at the Whisper Man in front of him. It made a gash, exposing emptiness.

"Do you want me to do that again?" Strax threatened.

The gash just closed itself up.

"Doctor who?" The Great Intelligence asked.

The Whisper Man reached out and grasped Strax's heart, making him groan.

"Please, stop it!" The Doctor begged.

"Doctor who?" The Great Intelligence narrowed his eyes.

"Unhand me, sir!" Strax began, only to groan again. "Argh!"

"Leave him alone!" The Doctor demanded. "Let him be!"

"Don't worry, sir! I think I've got him rattled!"

"Doctor!" Clara screamed as one of the Whisper Men grabbed her heart, three others grabbing Lucas's, Jupiter's and Sky's.

"Glorious!" Lucas shouted before groaning in pain. "Argh!"

"Lucas!" Lexi shouted only to gasp as she felt two hands reach through her from behind and grasp both of her hearts. "Ah! Argh!"

"Doctor who?" The Great Intelligence growled, nodding at Lexi's predicament.

"Please!" The Doctor gasped, looking around at his family and their friends just before...

...the doors cracked open.

The Great Intelligence smirked triumphantly and dropped his hand, making the Whisper Men drop everyone.

"That was lucky." River smirked as she walked around behind the Doctor. "The TARDIS can still hear others. Lucky thing, since him indoors is being so useless."

"Why did you open the door, sir?" Strax asked with a frown. "I had them on the run!"

"I didn't do it." The Doctor said in confusion. "I didn't say my name."

"No." Lexi panted, rubbing her chest as she got to her feet from where she had dropped to her knees when the Whisper Man dropped her. "But I did." Everyone turned to look at her. "Telepathic circuits are a wonderful thing." She smirked as she walked over and pat the TARDIS's side. "Nice work, Sexy."

"Is everyone alright?" The Doctor asked, going around to help everyone up. "Is everyone okay? Jupiter? Sky?" He ran over to them as Lexi went and checked on Lucas and Clara. "Are you both alright?"

"Been better." Jupiter answered as they got to their feet.

"That was definitely not nice." Sky said in agreement.

"I know. I'm sorry." The Doctor gave their arms a squeeze before then turning back to the Great Intelligence. "Now then, Doctor Simeon, or Mister G. Intelligence, whatever I call you... Do you know what's in there?"

"For me, peace at last." He answered. "For you and your wife... pain everlasting." He gestured to the doors with a cruel sneer. "Won't you invite us in?"

The Doctor just glared before Lexi came and joined him, both of them then moving together to force the doors open.


	58. The Name of the Doctor: Part 5 - FINAL

_Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

Everyone ascended up the staircase into the console room, but instead of the time rotor and console, there was a tangle of bright white energy tendrils in a column, a sparkling sapphire blue occasionally flickering through. The Cloister Bell was tolling from somewhere, and ivy had crawled over the railings.

"What's that?" Lucas pointed to the tangle in the middle of the room.

"What were you expecting? Bodies?" The Doctor asked. "Bodies are boring. I've had loads of them. And Lex, well, she's only had one body. But... she chose to get involved with me. It's no wonder she'd end up here, too... Nah, that's not what our tomb is for."

"But what is the light?" Marguerite frowned.

"It's beautiful." Jenny grinned.

"Should I destroy it?" Strax suggested.

"Shut up, Strax." Vastra hissed.

"Okay, will someone please explain what that is?" Clara asked.

"The tracks of our tears." The Doctor answered.

"Less poetry, Doctor." The Great Intelligence glared. "Just tell them."

He sighed. "Time travel is damage. It's like a tear in the fabric of reality. That is the scar tissue of my journey through the universe."

He used his sonic on the tear, and soon, various voices started filling the room, one of them was not the Doctor's.

" _Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension?_ " The First Doctor asked.

" _Daleks, Cybermen, they're still in the nursery compare to us._ " The Sixth Doctor huffed.

" _Do I have the right?_ " The Fourth Doctor wondered.

" _Are you a policeman?_ " Seven year old Alexis Pond's voice broke in, making the Doctor close his eyes as he remembered the first time he and Lexi met.

" _There are corners of the universe that have bred the most dangerous things._ " The Second Doctor said.

" _You were fantastic._ " The Ninth Doctor's voice broke through. " _Absolutely fantastic._ "

" _I'm the Doctor._ " The Doctor grinned when he heard his last self's voice, the Tenth Doctor's. " _I'm from Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous._ "

" _We can't let that happen... I can't let you die without knowing you are loved by so many and so much..._ " Lexi's voice broke through, making the Doctor smile at the memory of the day he and Lexi got married. " _...And by no one more than me._ "

" _Hello, Stonehenge!_ " The current (Eleventh) Doctor's voice whooped, making Lexi smirk slightly at the excitement in his voice.

"My own personal Time tunnel, interlinked with the Glorious's from the moment we met... From Gallifrey, to Leadworth, to Trenzalore." The Doctor explained, not seeing the Great Intelligence's face split into a cruel grin at his words. "All the days."

" _It was the dasiest daisy I'd ever seen._ " The Third Doctor said.

" _I will go with you and stand by your side through whatever the universe throws at us._ " Lexi's voice finished, speaking the words she had said to the Doctor not that long ago.

The Doctor squeezed his wife's hand tightly at that. "Even the ones we, er... even the ones we haven't lived yet -"

He then collapsed suddenly, Lexi bending down to help him.

"Doctor!" Clara shouted as she, Lucas, Sky and Jupiter ran over. "Doctor!"

"No, no." He groaned, wincing in pain. "Which is why we shouldn't be here. The paradoxes. It's very bad."

The Great Intelligence stepped towards the tunnel, making Lexi go pale.

"No, no, what are you doing?" Lexi stood up. "What are you doing?" She asked again. Marguerite reached out with her glowing purple mist, but it had no affect, much like the Whisper Man she had used it on previously. "Somebody stop him!"

"I can't." Marguerite shook her head.

"The Doctor's life is an open wound." The Great Intelligence said. "And an open wound can be entered."

"No." The Doctor groaned. "It will destroy you."

"Not at all." The Great Intelligence shook his head. "It will kill me. It will destroy you. I can rewrite every living moment. I can turn every one of your victories into defeats. Poison every friendship." He spared a glance at Lexi. "Every relationship... Deliver pain to your every breath."

"It will burn you up." The Doctor grimaced, Lexi bending down to check on him. "Once you go through, you can't come back. You will be scattered along my timeline like confetti."

"Oh, don't you remember, Doctor?" Simeon (The Great Intelligence) smirked. "This isn't just your timeline anymore." Everyone stiffened at that, the Doctor's eyes widening in growing horror as Lexi looked up, shock on her face. "You and your husband have thwarted me at every turn, Glorious." He narrowed his eyes. "Now you both will give me peace as I take revenge on every second of your lives." He looked at the time tunnel, laughing as it began to turn red from the bright white and sparkling sapphire blue. "Goodbye, Doctor. Goodbye, Glorious. Oh..." He then glanced at Sky and Jupiter. "And fun not existing Twins of Time."

With that, he stepped into the tunnel, screaming in pain before then being consumed by the light.

Lexi then fell down to the ground with a scream, Lucas scrambling to help her as the Doctor watched helplessly from his spot next to her.

"What's wrong with them?" Clara panicked. "What's happening?"

"They're being rewritten." Vastra looked at the time tunnel in horror as Lexi shakily reached over and squeezed the Doctor's hand tightly. "Simeon's attacking their entire timeline. They're dying all at once!"

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Corridor_...

The Fourth Doctor walked quickly, not seeing as Simeon watched him from the end of the corridor.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Bookshop_...

Lexi walked the isles of Leadworth's only bookshop as she restocked the shelves, not seeing Simeon peer around a corner as he watched her.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Hangar_...

Simeon stood in the shadows as he watched the Doctor and Lexi finally appear to everyone else at Demons Run.

~o0o~

 _Outside, Road_...

The Third Doctor drove Bessie down the gravely road, just catching sight of Simeon in the rear view mirror.

~o0o~

 _Outside, Town_...

Simeon stood amongst the people of Mercy, watching as the Doctor was literally thrown of town, a pregnant Lexi being held back by a couple of people.

~o0o~

 _Outside, Berlin street_...

Simeon smirked, watching from across the street as Jupiter pulled up on a motorbike next to an impressive looking building, Lexi holding onto her as Rory and Amy pulled up beside them just before the doors of the building opened and the restaurant clientele came running out in their under garments.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Hotel, Hall_...

Lexi cried as Rory cradled her in his arms, the both of them sitting along one of the walls, Simeon smirking at Lexi's distress as he watched from the end of the hallway.

~o0o~

Inside, Dalek Asylum, Corridor

The Doctor and Lexi ran through the Dalek Asylum, sonics raised, neither of them ever noticing Simeon following their every move.

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

"The Dalek Asylum." Vastra watched the timeline as Lexi whimpered, closing her eyes as the Doctor gripped her hand as tightly as he could. "The seventeenth century pirate ship with Captain Avery. Androzani... Demons Run."

Clara and Lucas's heads shot up at all those words.

"What did you say?" Clara asked. "Did you say the Dalek Asylum?"

"Did you say Demons Run?" Lucas tilted his head.

"Now they're dying in London, with us." Vastra blinked.

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Great Intelligence HQ, Study_...

Simeon put his hands around the Doctor's and Lexi's throats, pushing them down to the floor. He then reached his hands to touch their faces, their skin, making them groan in pain. Steam then began to rise from their skin as the heat left their bodies, making their skin begin to turn blue and cold.

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

"It is done." Simeon's (The Great Intelligence's) voice echoed, just before Sky and Jupiter disappeared into thin air.

"No, no!" Lexi cried out, writhing in pain, throwing her head back. "Argh!"

"Oh, dear Goddess." Vastra swallowed hard.

"What's wrong with them?" Clara bent to check on the Doctor and Lexi.

"And where did they go?" Lucas pointed at where Sky and Jupiter had once been.

"If the Doctor and the Glorious died, then their children were never born." Vastra said, putting the pieces together. "A world without the Couple of Time... There will be consequences. Jenny, with me."

Vastra then left with Jenny, Strax and Marguerite, leaving Clara and Lucas bending down to talk with the Doctor and Lexi.

"Glorious... the seventeenth century pirate ship." Lucas said. "Demons Run... You said it was me who save you. How?"

"And the Dalek Asylum And Victorian London." Clara said. "You both said that we were there... How could we have been there?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head, wincing. "Please, stop. Our life... Our whole life is burning."

 _Outside, Tomb_...

"What are you scanning for?" Jenny asked as Vastra held her device up to the sky.

"Local star systems." She answered.

"Why?" Marguerite tilted her head as she looked up at the sky.

"Because they're disappearing."

"Disappearing?" Jenny asked, confused. "How?"

"The Doctor and the Glorious's interlinked timelines have been corrupted." Vastra said. "Their every victory reversed. Think how many lives they've saved, how many worlds." She smiled slightly. "The Glorious found you, Marguerite. If wasn't for her, you would have never come to us. And, dear Jenny, the Doctor saved your life when we met." She then turned to see that both Marguerite and Jenny were gone. "Jenny? Marguerite?... No! Oh, God, no... Please, no!" She then hurriedly began punching buttons on her device.

"Reptile scum!" Strax suddenly shouted.

Vastra looked up to see Strax with a large pipe which he then swung at her, making her back away.

"You are an affront to Sontaran purity!" Strax shouted at her. "Prepare to perish!"

"We're friends!" Vastra tried to tell him. "Strax, your past is changing, but I swear, we are comrades!"

"Die, reptile!"

As Strax moved forward again, Vastra fired her weapon and Strax disappeared.

"Strax!" She shouted. "Strax!"

 _Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

Lexi suddenly gasped in pain before screaming as she felt a burning sensation on her stomach.

Lucas and Clara watched in horror as a sizzling wound appeared on Lexi's stomach, almost as if from...

"A laser blast." Lucas whispered, before looking to Lexi as he felt her grip his arm and yank him down so she could whisper in his ear.

Lexi then let go of his arm after a moment as she collapsed fully.

"Lex." The Doctor whispered weakly as he turned his head when he felt her grip on his hand loosen. He watched as her pain filled eyes went dead as the life completely drained from her body. "No, no, Lex... Alexis!"

Clara and Lucas looked back and forth between Lexi's body and the Doctor with wide eyes.

"She would've... please, please no..." The Doctor cried.

With tears of their own nearly escaping their eyes, Lucas and Clara shared a look before they both then slowly looked up at the now completely red-looking time tunnel.

"We have to go in there." They declared.

"Please." The Doctor groaned, shaking his head. "Please, no."

"But this is what we've already done." Clara insisted. "You've already seen us do it."

"We're the Couple of Time's Impossibles." Lucas said. "And this is why."

"Whatever you're both thinking of doing, don't." River's voice said suddenly.

Lucas and Clara turned to see River on the opposite side of the time tunnel.

"If we step in there, what happens?" Clara asked.

"The time winds would tear you into a million pieces." River answered. "A million versions of you two, living and dying all over time and space, like echoes."

"But the echoes could save the Glorious and the Doctor, right?" Lucas asked.

"But they won't be you." River insisted. "Your real selves will die. They'll just be copies."

"But they'll be real enough to save them." Clara countered. "It's like my mum said. The soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe..."

"You know, I never really gave too much thought to what my dad meant when he gave me this watch." Lucas suddenly said, looking down at the watch on his wrist. "He was always a walking riddle." He chuckled softly. "'Time is precious, waste it wisely.'" He then took off his watch before gently putting it around Lexi's wrist, gently rubbing the back of her cold hand. "For you... my Glorious." He then looked to River again. "It's the only way to save them, isn't it?"

River swallowed and nodded just before Vastra ran back in, looking horrified.

"The stars are going out." She informed them. "Jenny and Strax are dead, and Marguerite has disappeared. We now technically never met her... There must be something we can do."

Clara chuckled as she stood up. "Well, how about that? I'm Soufflé Girl after all."

Lucas smirked slightly as he got to his feet and walked up beside Clara. "And I suppose I'm about to waste my time in the best way possible."

"No." The Doctor begged. "Please."

"If this works, get out of here as fast as you can." Clara said as she and Lucas stepped towards the light.

Lucas smiled. "And if you would be so kind, spare us a thought now and then."

"Clara, Lucas... no!" The Doctor shook his head from his spot laid out on the floor next to Lexi's body.

"We can save your wife." Clara told him as she grabbed Lucas's hand. "And we can bring back your children."

Lucas gripped his friend's hand tighter. "And we will."

"Please..." The Doctor whispered.

"In fact, you know what?" Clara asked as a thought occurred to her, making her look to Lucas, said man nodding.

The best best friends in the universe turned around.

"Run." They ordered. "Run, you clever boy, you glorious girl... and remember."

"No!" The Doctor shouted as Clara and Lucas ran hand-in-hand into the time tunnel, it turning back to bright white and sapphire blue the second they entered...

~o0o~

 _Inside, Time tunnel_...

Lucas and Clara opened their eyes in the midst of the time tunnel, flames reflected in their eyes and determined looks on their faces as they fell downwards surrounded by fire.

Clara ~ " ** _We don't know where we are._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

"Clara! Lucas!" The Doctor screamed.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Time tunnel_...

Lucas grabbed Clara's hand again, each of them preparing to not make it out of this alive.

Lucas ~ " ** _We just know we're running._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, House, 1800s, Night_...

Clara ~ " ** _Sometimes it's like we've lived thousands of lives in thousands of places._** "

Little Clara Oswin Oswald and little Lucas Hawthorne Harper looked out upon Victorian London, smiles upon their faces as snow fell.

Lucas ~ " ** _We're born._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Rose and Crown, Night_...

Clara ~ " ** _We live._** "

Barmaid Clara Oswin Oswald looked around the tavern she worked in, a hand on her hip as bartender Lucas Hawthorne Harper wiped the counters down next to her.

Lucas ~ " ** _We die._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

Lexi suddenly coughed before she rolled onto her side, her eyes shooting open.

"Lex." The Doctor whispered in relief just as Sky and Jupiter suddenly reappeared at his and Lexi's feet. "You're okay..."

"Okay..." Jupiter said slowly, looking around. "What the hell?"

"Where are Clara and Lucas?" Sky asked, noticing the two friends' absence.

Gripping Lexi's hand as they were still on the floor, the Doctor swallowed and looked towards the time tunnel. "In there."

The Time Twins' eyes widened.

"But they can't have." Jupiter breathed.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Corridor_...

Carolyn Oswald looked around wildly as she stood in a futuristic hallway.

Clara ~ " ** _And always, there's the Doctor._** "

The sixth Doctor then walked across a corridor behind her. Carolyn whirled around, but he was already gone.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Therapist office, Hallway_...

Eleven year old Alexis Pond sat on a bench outside her and her sister's psychiatrist, waiting for her sister to get done with her session so they could go home. Frowning, she stared down at a picture she had drawn of herself and the raggedy Doctor. It was... it was eating at her. The more and more she stared down at it, the more and more she wanted to rip it to pieces.

Lucas ~ " ** _And of course, there's the Glorious._** "

She then went to go and rip the drawing until she felt like she was being watched. She looked to the side and saw a man studying her.

"Why do you want to rip that?" Lance Harper asked her curiously.

Alexis frowned, looking from Lance to her drawing and back to Lance again. "I don't think I can... keep hoping."

"Oh, don't say that." Lance smiled at her. "I think there's always something to hope for."

Alexis pursed her lips in thought, looking from Lance to her drawing again. She stared at it for a moment before giving it a single nod. She then looked back towards Lance, only to find that he was no longer sitting there with her.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Corridor_...

Clara ~ " ** _Always, I'm running to save the Doctor._** "

Caia Oswald ran down a corridor before veering off to the side into another corridor, just seeing the end of a long colorful scarf as the fourth Doctor disappeared around a corner.

~o0o~

 _Outside, Bridge, Night_...

Seventeen year old Lexi Pond sat on the edge of Leadworth's only bridge that crossed over Leadworth's only river. That was the thing with Leadworth. It was so small that there only seemed to be one of everything that was there.

Lexi sighed, swinging her legs as her feet dangled above the water down below. Amy and Rory were probably looking for her. She didn't want to do this to them. But... things were getting to be too much...

He was real.

The Doctor was real and he hadn't come back. It had been ten years and... he never came back.

Amy knew as well as she did what that one night when they were seven meant... There was more out there.

There was more out there in the universe than the boring and mundane life that Leadworth provided.

Leadworth was nice... But it was also suffocating. That's what Lexi felt like at that time. She felt like she was being suffocated by knowing there was more to do out there in the vast expanse of the universe, and having no way to get there.

It could all just be... over, you know?

"Just one fall..." Lexi whispered as she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, gazing down at the water below as it rushed over the rocks in the river.

Lucas ~ " ** _And I'm always running, as fast as I can, to save the Glorious._** "

"Excuse me." A voice said from behind Lexi, making her bow her head at someone having caught her in this state. "Are you alright?"

"No." Lexi answered the man, not even turning back to look at him.

"Oh, well, that just won't do." Levi Harper said as he walked up next to her before sitting down with his own legs dangling off the edge of the bridge. "Why are you so sad?"

Lexi spared a glance at him. "How do you know I'm sad?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell me why you're out here. I already know... Why else would you be out here, alone, late at night, away from prying eyes?"

"Apparently not yours." Lexi scoffed, looking straight ahead again.

Good. He's gotten her talking.

Levi gently placed his hand over hers. "You know what? You don't even have to tell me why you're sad. Just let me speak with you."

"About what?" She asked softly, closing her eyes as a couple of tears escaped.

"Let me tell you a story." Levi said as he scooted closer to her, cautiously putting an arm around her shoulders. "Let me tell you about the greatest love story in the universe... The story of a madwoman and her madman."

Lucas ~ " ** _Suffice to say, I always save her._** "

~o0o~

 _Outside, Islington, London, Street, 1982, Day_...

Clara ~ " ** _Even when they're not really in danger, we always keep a watchful eye._** "

Catarina Oswald and Linus Harper sat on a bench under a shady tree while watching as the Couple of Time pushed their two year old twins on the swings of the small park, the twins giggling in delight.

Lucas ~ " ** _After all, you can never be too careful._** "

~o0o~

 _Outside, London 1892, Street, Night_...

Clara ~ " ** _No matter the situation, we're always running to save them._** "

Clara Oswin Oswald and Lucas Hawthorne Harper chased after the Doctor and Lexi.

"Oi!" Clara called out to the couple, putting her hands on her hips. "Where are you going?"

"Yeah, we thought we were just getting acquainted with you both." Lucas agreed, crossing his arms.

Lucas ~ " ** _However, they hardly ever hear us._** "

The Couple of Time slowly turned around to look at the two friends.

~o0o~

Inside, Gallifrey, Repair shop...

Clara ~ " **But we've always been there.** "

"Doctor?"

The Doctor quickly turned around to a see a younger woman, a Time Lady, standing a few cylinders down.

"Yes, what is it?" The Doctor asked her. "What do you want?"

"Sorry." The Time Lady, Calliope, told him as she took a step forward. "But you're about to make a very big mistake... Don't steal that one, steal this one." She said with a smile, leaning against the cylinder, a TARDIS, she stood next to. "The navigation system's knackered, but you'll have much more fun."

~o0o~

 _Inside, Leadworth, Bookshop_...

"Glorious?" A voice said from behind nineteen year old Lexi, making her pause as she was about to put another book on the shelf. She looked off to the side and saw a young man in jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt leaning against bookshelf at the end of the isle. "Oh, I'm sorry. You went by Lexi at this point in your life, didn't you?"

Lexi raised an eyebrow at the man. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

Louis Harper smirked at her. "Not technically. Not yet." He then pushed off the bookshelf and stood up straight as he looked around the Bookshop. "It's a bit deserted in this place, don't you think?" He then turned his attention back to Lexi. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

Lexi raised an eyebrow, considering his words. It was pretty empty in the bookshop.

Lexi then decided to take Louis's advice, having no idea that the raggedy Doctor she had missed for twelve years was, at that moment, breaking into her and her sister's house.

Lucas ~ " _ **Right from the very beginning.**_ "

~o0o~

Clara and Lucas ~ " ** _Right from the days they started running._** "

~o0o~

 _Inside, Dalek Asylum, Hawthorne's living quarters_...

Hawthorne Harper smiled as he sat within his Dalek body. "Run... Run, you glorious girl."

 _Inside, Dalek Asylum, Oswin's living quarters_...

Oswin Oswald sat in her chair contently with her legs tucked up underneath her, a peaceful smile on her face. "Run... Run, you clever boy."

~o0o~

 _Inside, Tomb, Console room_...

" _And remember._ " Lucas's and Clara's voices echoed throughout the tomb.

Jupiter and Sky raised their hands over their eyes, seeing a bright light flash through the TARDIS... and the Doctor and Lexi were on their feet next to them, Jenny, Strax and Marguerite beside Vastra.

"...It was an unprovoked and violent attack, but that's no excuse." Strax was saying.

"We're all restored." Vastra said in relief, holding Jenny's hand. "That's all that matters now."

"We're not all restored." Jupiter shook her head, her eyes still on the time tunnel.

The Doctor and Lexi both nodded, stepping towards it.

"You can't go in!" River suddenly shouted. "It's your time-streams mixed together, for God's sake!"

"We have to get them back." Lexi said softly, the Doctor nodding in agreement.

"Of course, but not like this!" River glared at them.

"But how?" Marguerite asked.

"Are they still alive?" Vastra asked. "It killed Doctor Simeon."

"Clara and Lucas have got two advantages over the Great Intelligence." The Doctor shook his head.

"Which are?"

Lexi grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Us."

"Auntie, Uncle, please listen to me." River begged. "At least hear me!"

"Now, if Lex and I don't come back, and we might not..." The Doctor began.

"Uncle!"

"Go to the TARDIS. All of you. Sky and Jupiter will fly you home... You take good care of Idris for us."

"There has to be another way!" River shouted. "Use the TARDIS, use something. Save them, yes, but for God's sake, be sensible!"

She went to slap the Doctor... but Lexi's hand reached out and snatched her wrist.

"You know hitting isn't nice, Melody." Lexi told her. "No matter how much your dear Uncle needs it sometimes."

The Doctor blinked, turning to look at Lexi. "What do you mean?"

River stared at Lexi in shock. "How are you even doing that?" She breathed. "I'm not really here."

"You're always here to me." Lexi smiled at her. "And always listen. And I can always see you."

"What's going on?" The Doctor frowned.

"But he can't see you." Lexi told River, taking in a shaky breath. "It's just me."

"Then why didn't you speak to me?" River asked.

"Because I thought it would hurt too much."

"I believe I could have coped."

"No." Lexi shook her head, on the verge of tears. "I thought it would hurt me... And I was right." She grabbed River and pulled her into a hug. "And since no one else in this room can see you, God knows how this looks." She then pulled away and held River's face in her hands. "And everyone, just for your information, I'm talking to an interface of River. So I know that looked like I just hugged thin air."

"Right." The Doctor nodded, slightly less confused.

Lexi smiled slightly, placing a kiss on River's forehead before pulling back a bit. "I wasn't there to say goodbye to you when it was your time. And I'm so sorry... But even I know that there's a time to live, and a time to sleep. You are an echo, Melody. Like Clara and Lucas. Like all of us, in the end... But you should've faded by now."

"It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye." River informed her.

Lexi gave her a tearful smile. "Then tell me, because I don't... I don't know how to say it."

"There's only one way I'd accept." River tilted her head. "If you ever loved me like I know an Aunt should... say it like you and Uncle are going to come back."

Lexi choked out a laugh. "Well, then... see you around, my dearest niece."

"Till the next time, Auntie." River winked.

"Okay." The Doctor rubbed his hands together as Lexi came and rejoined him by the time tunnel.

"Oh, there's one more thing." River added.

"Wait." Lexi put a hand on the Doctor's arm, glancing over at River. "What is it?"

River smirked. "I was mentally linked with Clara and Lucas. If they're really dead... then how can I still be here?"

Lexi's jaw dropped. "No."

"Spoilers." River winked. "Goodbye, Auntie."

River's image then vanished, Lexi then turning to the Doctor with a determined look in her eyes. "Let's bring Clara and Lucas home where they belong."

The Doctor nodded, him and Lexi giving one last wave to everyone before they both then walked hand-in-hand into the time tunnel, a bright light flashing in the tomb.

~o0o~

 _Inside, Time tunnel_...

Clara ~ " ** _We don't know where we are._** "

Lucas and Clara opened their eyes in the midst of the time tunnel, flames reflected in their eyes and determined looks on their faces as they fell downwards surrounded by fire.

Lucas ~ " ** _We don't know where we're going, or where we've been._** "

Lucas grabbed Clara's hand, each of them preparing to not make it out of this alive.

Clara ~ " ** _We were born to save the Couple of Time._** "

Clara and Lucas continued to fall in the seemingly endless 'tunnel' of fire.

Lucas ~ " ** _But the Couple of Time is safe now._** "

Lucas and Clara seemed to embrace what was happening to them. The result of what they had done. Together.

Clara ~ " ** _I'm the Impossible Girl._** "

Lucas ~ " ** _I'm the Impossible Man._** "

Clara even managed to grin at Lucas, making him chuckle.

Clara and Lucas ~ " ** _And our story is done._** "

~o0o~

 _Outside, ?_...

Clara and Lucas fell with a thud on hard ground.

Lucas winced as he sat up. "Glorious?"

"Doctor?" Clara called out, looking around, both her and Lucas hearing similar thuds, but seeing no Couple of Time.

"Glorious! Doctor! Please, please." Lucas buried his face in his hands.

"I don't know where I am." Clara said, tears streaming down her face.

"Lucas?"

"Clara?"

The two friends looked up, both of them unable to see through the fog (or smoke) swirling around them as they heard Lexi's and the Doctor's voices.

"We know you can hear us." Lexi's voice said.

"We can't see you!" Lucas called out.

"We're everywhere." The Doctor responded. "From the moment the Glorious and I met, our time-streams linked. Mine is hers. Hers is mine. Everything you see around you is us."

The First Doctor walked past suddenly, making Clara gasp and spin to try and see him.

"We can see you." Lexi's voice said as a little seven year old her ran past Lucas, followed by an older her wearing the outfit she wore on the seventeenth century pirates ship.

Clara then scooted backwards to avoid being run into by the current (Eleventh) Doctor and Lexi as they sprinted past, Lexi wearing the woolen poncho and boots she wore at Demons Run.

"Doctor," Clara began as she looked around. "all your different faces... they're here."

"I'm seeing so many you's, Glorious." Lucas said as he, too, looked around. "All the same face, but... at different points in your life."

"Those are our ghosts. Every good day, every bad day." The Doctor explained just before the ground rumbled, making Clara and Lucas fall to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, looking around wildly. "What's happening?"

"We're inside our own time-stream." Lexi answered. "It's collapsing in on itself."

"Well, get out then!"

"Not until we've got you and Clara!"

"We don't even know who we are!" Clara cried.

"You're Lex's, Jupiter's, Sky's and my Impossibles." The Doctor told them.

"We're sending you a couple of things." Lexi's voice told them. "Both of you, look up. Look." Lucas and Clara did, Lucas quickly held out his hand and caught his wrist watch before it fell to the ground as Clara watched her leaf float down. "These are you, Lucas, Clara."

"Everything you both were or will be." The Doctor added. "Clara, you blew into the world on this leaf. Hold tight. It will take you home." She reached out and grabbed it.

"Lucas, I want you to put that wrist watch back on." Lexi told him, and he obeyed. "You came into this word because this watch stopped working before it suddenly came back to life. This is your time. This is your reason to keep going."

Lucas and Clara looked at each other before looking straight ahead again.

"Clara!"

"Lucas!"

The two friends looked around, hearing the Doctor's and Lexi's voices more clearly now.

"Come on. Come on, to us, now." The Doctor's voice told them.

"You can do it, we know you can." Lexi's voice agreed.

"How?" The two friends breathed, turning around to see the Doctor and Lexi beckoning from just a few feet away.

"Because it's impossible!" The Doctor grinned as they slowly stumbled towards him and Lexi. "You're our Impossibles. How many times have you saved us, Oswald and Harper?"

"We're real. Just one more step." Lexi said just before Lucas reached her, Lexi putting his arm over her shoulder to help keep him upright as Clara collapsed into the Doctor's arms. "My Lucas." She whispered, kissing his hand as it was draped over her shoulder.

"There you are." The Doctor smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Clara's ear. "My Clara... Now, let's -"

Clara frowned when she felt him tense, Lexi and Lucas looking over at them when they heard the Doctor go quiet. They then looked ahead again.

Lucas frowned and Clara frowned when they saw a man standing with his back to them. Lexi, however, was not confused at all at who this man was.

"Who's that?" Lucas asked.

"Never mind." The Doctor shook his head, gently tugging Clara away as Lexi tried helping Lucas walk. "Let's go back."

"But who is he?" Clara asked, curious as well.

The Doctor sighed. "He's me. There's only me and Lex here. That's the point. Now, let's go back."

"But we never saw that one." Lucas shook his head. "We saw all of you. Eleven faces of you and all the points of the Glorious's life with the one face she's had."

"So if that's the case," Clara began as she looked over and up at the Doctor. "You're the Eleventh Doctor."

"I said he was me." The Doctor scowled, Lexi glancing at him in concern. "I never said he was the Doctor."

"Okay, I don't get it." Lucas said tiredly.

"Look." The Doctor rubbed a hand over his face. "My name, my real name, that is not the point. The name I chose is the Doctor. The name you choose, it's like... it's like a promise you make." He looked at the man with his back to them, Lexi following his gaze as she kept silent. "He's the one who broke the promise." Clara's eyes rolled back into her head as she collapsed, the Doctor hurriedly catching her while Lexi tried to keep Lucas upright as he became more drowsy. "Clara? Clara? Clara!" She lolled her head, and the Doctor picked her up bridal style as Lexi adjusted her grip on Lucas. "He's my secret."

"What I did, I did without choice." The man said.

The Doctor glared at him as Lexi bit her lip nervously. "I know."

"In the name of peace and sanity."

"But not in the name of the Doctor." The Doctor shook his head before turning his back on the man, carrying Clara away, Lexi helping a staggering Lucas as they followed after them.

The other man turned... revealing the same face the Doctor had only revealed once before, to Lexi right after they got married, a memory of Time War.

Because this man was the War Doctor, the same man who had destroyed Gallifrey.

* * *

 **A/N: BOOM!**

 **I so hope y'all enjoyed that. I know I really enjoyed writing it.**

 **Lucas and Clara falling through the time stream got a bit wonky, but I tried my best.**

 **And I realize that since Lexi only has had one face so far, Lucas's (and sometimes Clara's) echoes end up being in close proximity with each other. It's funny to think about multiple versions (the ones that didn't die) of them living in the same time period.**

 **Anyway... enough about that.**

 **Who's ready for " _The Day of the Doctor_ "?!**

 **That's gonna be so much fun! *squeals in excitement***

 **I can't wait for you people to read what I've got planned. I've also got a couple of little surprises that will revolve around the 50th Anniversary special.**

 **However, I am coming up on a busy time at school, so I don't know exactly when I'll be getting all the 50th stuff out.**

 **So, please just bare with me until then. ️**

 **So... love to you beautiful people!**

 **Until next time!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	59. The Time Twins Show

**A/N: Hello, all! 😁**

 **This special filler chapter is something that I've wanted to do for a long time. And once you read it, you'll probably be able to guess why.**

 **Another thing, I feel like this chapter is very meta, but I don't care because it's also pretty self-indulgent for me. And, like I mentioned just a moment ago, once you read this special filler chapter, you'll probably be able to guess why.**

 **And, judging by this chapter's title... it's also very Sky and Jupiter focused!**

 **I love my Time Twins so much! ❤️**

 **Anyway, this is a chapter that will include answers to questions that people asked me on Wattpad.**

 **Now, I think I'll stop rambling and let you get on with the fun. ️**

 **Let the start of the 50th Anniversary special stuff begin...**

 **Enjoy! 😁**

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Pond Era Console room_...

"Why are we here?" Jupiter asked as she and Sky walked up the stairs to the console.

"To tell you the truth, sis, I have absolutely no idea." Sky answered as they came to a stop next to the console. "Although, I do have this weird feeling that we're missing something..."

"Would that someone happen to be me?" An American voice asked, making the time twins turn around to see a young hazel-eyed brunette woman, no more than 5'2" standing at the top of the stairs that lead into a corridor.

"Who the hell are you? And how did you get in here?" Jupiter asked, walking away from her brother before storming up the stairs to be toe-to-toe with the mysterious young woman.

"Now, now, Jupiter, don't go all Marshal on me." The young woman rolled her eyes before grabbing Jupiter by the shoulders and turning her around and making her walk back down the stairs, following behind her.

"And how do you know my name?" Jupiter huffed, crossing her arms.

The young woman just sighed before turning to look at Sky. "Hello, Skyler."

"You know my name, too?" Sky raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wow, you two are just full of questions today, aren't you?" The young woman chuckled before walking around the console, sighing contently as she took in the sight of her favorite console room.

"Well, forgive us if we're curious about some mysterious young woman that just appears out of nowhere." Jupiter rolled her eyes as she and Sky watched the young woman walk around the console while taking in the sight of the console room.

"The name's Maddy." The young woman finally said before coming to a stop directly in front of the Time Twins. "And I'm the author of your lives."

"The author of our what?" Sky blinked.

"Oh, come on. You're clever." Maddy tapped Sky on the head. "Put that brilliant brain of yours to use. How do you think it's possible that the three of us are standing in a console room whose era has already passed? And how do you think I was capable of getting in here without anyone noticing?"

"Okay... You've got us." Jupiter sighed. "How?"

"Well," Maddy began as she tilted her head from side-to-side as she thought out the best way to answer. "simply put... I'm the author and I do what I want."

"Why?" Sky shook his head.

"For fun." Maddy grinned.

"So what, it's like... you come from another universe where our lives are a story?" Jupiter questioned her.

"Basically." Maddy nodded. "Although, not all of it's mine. What I write is a fanfiction retelling of a show called Doctor Who from the point of your father crash landing in your mother and aunt's garden when they were little girls. And the story just goes on from there. You know, with characters and storylines that I create to add into the mix of things." She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "But, you know, that's not why we're here."

"Then why are we here?" Sky asked her.

"The three of us are here because you both are going to pose questions to me that have been asked by my readers." Maddy answered, smiling a bit. "I thought that they'd like that. And I thought they'd like it even more if I put it into the form of a filler chapter where you two are asking me the questions that they asked."

"Alright..." Jupiter nodded slowly. "Then what are the questions."

Maddy smirked, lifting her hand slightly before snapping her fingers and making the monitor on the console light up. "They'll be on that right there."

"Alright, I'll go first." Sky said quickly, going over to the monitor on the console to scroll to the first question on the list. "Okay, Maddy, the first question comes from someone called **ok_what** : _Where did you come up with the name the Glorious? Did you just think it up or does it have some underlying meaning?_ "

"Ooh, interesting question." Maddy hummed as she thought out her response. "Well, there really isn't an underlying meaning, per se... When I decided that Lexi was going to become Time Lady, I figured it would only be fitting if I gave her a title as well. When I decided to give her a title, I started trying to come up with a really good one. Then I thought about how the Doctor occasionally calls Lexi his glorious Pond... And that's how the title 'The Glorious' was born. So, I guess you can sort of give credit for Lexi's title to the Doctor."

"Really?" Jupiter smiled as she walked up beside her brother while they both looked at Maddy.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I didn't even officially decide on 'The Glorious' for your mother's title until just before 'A Good Man Goes to War'. And then we finally saw it officially become her title in 'The Wedding of Alexis Pond'. Now, next question."

"Right." Sky nodded before looking back to the monitor. "This question comes from **JustJadeOfficial** : _How long did it take you to create the characters for the series?_ "

"Okay, honestly, that's something I don't really plan ahead for." Maddy answered, tapping her chin as she thought. "You see, when I first came up with the idea for this series, I started out just writing something purely to see what it would be like if Amy had an identical twin sister. I didn't even come up with the idea for Sky and Jupiter, you two, until I was in the middle of writing 'The Pandorica Opens'. Y'all then made your first appearance in the episode after that, near the end of 'The Big Bang'. You see, the various OCs that I've created for this series, like Lucas, Marguerite, and those three talking animals that were in 'The Doctor, the Glorious, the Widow and the Wardrobe', are never really planned ahead of time too much. Like the idea for Lucas's character didn't even occur to me until right before I wrote 'The Curse of the Black Spot', which was the episode where we first saw an echo of his. It's like the ideas for the OCs just sort of come to me out of nowhere. Like when I get the idea for a new OC to add into this series, I think about who they're becoming in my head, and then I think about how they might actually fit into the story itself. So, if they fit in well, then they become part of the storyline. And, since I love teasing my readers, I'm gonna say that I've actually thought up a few more new OCs for this series. And, I think, they're all going to fit in really well. Bring in some very good story content. To top it all off, I'll say that a couple of the new OCs are actually coming up quite soon..."

"Ooh, intriguing..." Jupiter smirked before nudging her brother aside so she could look at the monitor herself. "I think I wanna ask a couple of questions now."

"Fire away." Maddy smiled, plopping down in a jump-seat.

Jupiter scrolled down a bit before reading over the question. "Alright, this next question comes from someone called **Casmad** : _How do you manage to update all the time with so much written, how do you find the time to do it?_ "

"Okay, well, simply put, I update when I feel like it, or when I find the time." Maddy replied, tapping her foot on the glass floor. "I don't really update that often, if at all, when I'm busy with college/university classes. But I love this series so much, that I really do try to take advantage of the time that I can find for it. It's my most successful story I've ever written. It is and always will be my first love, and I hope to continue it for as long as possible."

"Aww, that's sweet." Jupiter mused before scrolling to the next question. "Okay, this next one comes from **Timelady2013** : _How do you choose and divide up the dialogue to include the additional characters you've created? Is it hard at times to make it work?_ "

"You know... it can be hard at times to divide up the dialogue." She answered honestly. "However, I try to come up with as much original dialogue as well. For the most part, I think I've accomplished that to a degree. And with that, it makes everything much easier."

"Fair enough." Sky nodded before peering over Jupiter's shoulder to look at the monitor. "Now, **Turtlii** says: _I know some other writers have done crossovers with writers in the Doctor Who fandom (so two OCs and the Doctors from different writers) in one episode together. If you ever would consider this, who would you want Lexi and the Doctor to end up meeting?_ "

"Now, that is a very good question." Maddy nodded, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "Two writers come to mind. I've been trying to catch up with their stories. I haven't gotten all the way through, but, if I had to pick someone, it would either be **KleeAlise11** and her 'The Lily Carter Chronicles' with the Doctor and Rose's sister Lily Carter. Or **WritersBlock039** and any of her Doctor Who series ('The Bad Wolf Chronicles' with the Doctor and Jessie Nightshade, 'The Creators Saga' with the Doctor and the Alchemist, 'The Diaries of a Teenage Time Lady' with the Doctor and his daughter Annakamara, or 'Apocalypse Rising' with her Doctor's Wife!OC the Apocalypse). So yeah, any of them I think would be awesome for the Doctor and Lexi to meet."

"I have no idea what those series are, but it still sounds interesting." Sky shrugged before Jupiter scrolled down. "So, next question is from **rubyisaduck** , and there are actually two questions: _1) How do you manage to fit in your OCs into the series so well without causing any plot holes? And 2) Do you have a special guide or something like that which you use while creating the personalities for characters or do you think up their traits and characteristics from the top of your head?_ "

"Okay, the first question: When I get the idea for a new OC to add to the series, I just think about how they might fit into the story itself. And if they fit in well, then they become part of the storyline. I sort of answered this in a previous question, I believe." Maddy said as she crossed her arms, leaning back in the jump-seat. "And the second question: I don't really have any sort of special guide that helps me create the personalities for the characters. I sorta just... begin writing and the characters just kind of come to life and become themselves on their own, so to speak."

"I like the sound of that method." Jupiter commented as Sky stepped away from her. "Anyway, there's one more question. **Cookiemonstar1912** asks: _How did you come up with the idea for to write this amazing book series?_ It then goes on to ask about the 50th anniversary special, but I'm assuming you don't want to answer too many questions about that."

"Okay, first: I'm so glad you think this series is amazing!" Maddy beamed. "Second: Yeah, I don't want to divulge a whole lot about 'The Day of the Doctor'. All I'll say, is that it is going to be SO MUCH FUN! And third: How I came up with the idea to write this series, well, I sort of answered this already. I mean, at first, all I wanted to do was explore what it would be like if Amy had an identical twin sister. And then, over time, things just sort of... grew into something I never originally thought it would."

"I like that." Sky stayed as he turned to Maddy. "Nice sentiment."

"Well, it is true." Maddy smiled as she stood up from the jump-seat. "I have so much fun creating and writing things for The Glorious Series universe, that I never really consider it to be work. Simply put, I enjoy writing it and I enjoy seeing other people enjoy themselves while reading it."

"Is there anything else that you can tell us about what's coming up?" Jupiter questioned her, stepping up next to her brother. "Anything at all?"

"Not really..." Maddy smiled apologetically at them. "Although, I will say to the readers that another special filler chapter is coming up next, and that it is going to be my version of the Doctor Who mini-episode 'The Night of the Doctor' with Paul McGann as the eighth Doctor. I'll be putting my own little spin things with it."

"How so?" Sky tilted his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Maddy smirked. "We're all out of time. Have to end things here."

Jupiter opened her mouth to say something but never got anything out before Maddy clapped her hands together, making everything dissolve into darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: There ya have it! 😃**

 **Lol! I had fun writing this, and I hope you enjoyed yourselves while reading it. ️**

 **Now you can see how this chapter was self-indulgent for me.**

 **I REGRET NOTHING!**

 **Now, I shall depart for the time being while I go eat dinner before I then begin work on the mini-episode... " _The Night of the Doctor_ "!**

 **Until then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	60. The Night of the Doctor

**A/N: Hello, everyone! *blows virtual kisses***

 **I'm so friggin' excited to be getting back to this story! ️**

 **I mean, I never really left it. I just took a tiny break from it while I worked on other things.**

 **Anyway...**

 **This chapter is kinda like my version of that DW minisode " _The Night of the Doctor_ ", hence this chapter's title. There's also a little something (or someone) new that I've added into the mix of things for the chapter itself. And, I think you're gonna like it (or her).**

 **Guest stars, anyone?**

 **~o0o~**

GUEST STARRING

~ **Paul McGann** as _The Eighth Doctor_

~ **Emma Campbell-Jones** as _Cass_

~ **Clare Higgins** as _Ohila_

~ **Kaya Scodelario** as _Eulalia_

 **~o0o~**

 **Yes, Miss Scodelario is going to be portraying a brand new OC for this chapter. We won't be seeing her again for a while after this, but we will eventually be seeing her again at some point.**

 **Also, what do you think of the name Eulalia? I tried to give her a name that seemed to go with other names from Karn (E.g. - Ohila).**

 **One more thing, I've taken a bit of creative liberty in regards to Eulalia's character and what she does. So, please try to have fun with it!**

 **Alright, I think I'll shut up now. ️**

 **Let us read... " _The Night of the Doctor_ "! 🎉**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, Sisterhood temple, Bedchamber_...

A figure in red robes sat within the meditation cavern of her bedchamber as she gazed down at the crystal ball that sat before her, her long brunette hair escaping from beneath the edges of the hood of the red robe she herself was wearing.

"I come before thee, Orb of Aziza." She whispered just before the crystal sphere began glowing a faint orange color. "Show me what it is I need to see... What I must see."

The woman watched as the light from the crystal ball dissipated until a certain picture within the sphere became clear.

 **~o0o~**

It was an image of a red-headed woman laughing as she and her husband pushed their two children on the swings.

~o0o~

Another image of the same woman grinning from ear-to-ear as she was reading her two children a bedtime story just before her husband, the same man from before, popped up into view from the end of the bed, making his family jump in surprise.

 **~o0o~**

The woman watched as more images flashed through the crystal sphere, showing the life of this one particular family. These particular people.

 **~o0o~**

An image of that same red-headed woman from before as she and a woman that was most definitely her twin sister tried to run towards a lake but were each held back by two people. One of them being held back by a woman with massively curly hair and a man with dirty blonde hair a green eyes. And the other one being held back by a young woman with red hair and green eyes and a man with slightly curly brown hair and blue eyes.

~o0o~

The image shifted again to show as the red-headed woman looked up from her hands that were placed on top of her boyfriend's before turning her head to look at the two people that held her back at the lake.

" _Hello, Mum._ "

~o0o~

The image then shifted yet again to show the red-headed woman as she wore a beautiful dress while standing before the man she was about to marry.

" _Then, Raggedy Man... you most definitely may kiss the bride._ "

~o0o~

The image then shifted again to show the man and woman in a hospital room, the woman sitting up on the bed and the man sitting in a chair right next to her, each of them holding little bundles in their arms.

" _I never thought I'd get to have this again._ " The man admitted, his voice laced with emotion as he gazed at the baby girl nestled in his arms.

" _Have what?_ " The woman asked, looking up from her infant son and over to the man where he sat in the chair as he held their infant daughter.

" _An actual family._ " He answered before leaning his head down slightly to press a gentle kiss to his daughter's forehead.

 **~o0o~**

As she continued to sit within the mediation cavern of her bedchamber, the brunette woman lowered the hood of her red robe, her light blue eyes shining with curiosity.

"Tell me, Orb... Who are these people?" She asked softly, gently running her fingertips over the crystal sphere.

 **~o0o~**

The image on the crystal ball shifted again, this time showing the same man and woman standing within the Parliament of the Daleks.

" _The Glorious is known throughout time and space as the Doctor's companion for life._ " The Dalek Prime Minister informed. " _She is his equal in every way possible. She is the lightening that fuels the thunder in the Oncoming Storm. A force to be reckoned with._ "

 **~o0o~**

The brunette woman's eyes widened. "The Doctor... A man of legend... And it seems he is not alone."

She smirked before tilting her head curiously as the image in the crystal sphere changed again.

 **~o0o~**

The image showed a curly haired man bang on the door of a crashing ship as he yelled at a woman, his TARDIS standing a short distance behind him.

" _Cass!_ "

 **~o0o~**

The brunette gasped.

"He is coming... I must tell Ohila." She whispered, quickly getting to her feet and pulling her hood back up before exiting her bedchamber, her red robes swishing behind her as she went.

 _Inside, Ship, Bridge_...

As her ship fell crashing, a dark-haired woman hurried to try and do her best to man the controls.

"Help me, please." She begged. "Can anybody hear me?"

"Please state the nature of your ailment or injury." The computer responded.

"I'm not injured, I'm crashing! I don't need a doctor!"

"A clear statement of your symptoms will help us provide the medical practitioner appropriate to your individual needs."

"I'm trying to send a distress signal! Stop talking about doctors!"

"I'm a doctor." A voice behind her said, making the woman spin around, gasping, to see the Eighth Doctor standing behind her. "But probably not the one you were expecting. Where's the rest of the crew?"

"Teleported off." She answered in surprise as he joined her to look at the controls.

"But you're still here."

"I teleported them."

"Why you?"

"Everyone else was screaming."

The Eighth Doctor smirked. "Welcome aboard."

"Aboard what?" The woman blinked.

"I'll show you." He took her hand, leading her away from the cockpit.

"Where are we going?"

"Back of the ship."

"Why?"

"Because the front crashes first. Think it through - oh." He sighed in annoyance as the bulkhead sealed itself in front of them. "Why did you do that?"

"Emergency protocols." The woman informed him.

The Eighth Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, working to reopen the door. "What's your name?"

"Cass." She answered.

"You're young to be crewing a gunship, Cass."

"I wanted to see the universe. Is it always like this?"

"If you're lucky." He shrugged, pulling her through when the door opened. "Don't worry, it's bigger on the inside."

Cass froze when he said that, pulling free and looking up at the police public call box in the back of the ship. "What did you say? Bigger on the inside? Is that what you said?"

"Yes." The Eighth Doctor nodded, reaching out to take her hand again. "Come on, you'll love it."

"Is this a TARDIS?"

"Yes, but you'll be perfectly safe, I promise you."

"Don't touch me!" She spat, backing away from him.

The Eighth Doctor blinked in surprise, then understood. "I'm not part of the War. I swear to you, I never was."

"You're a Time Lord." She accused.

"Yes, I'm a Time Lord." He admitted. "But I'm one of the nice ones."

"Get away from me!" She backed up further.

"Well, look on the bright side, I'm not a Dalek!" He exclaimed in defense.

"Who can tell the difference anymore?" Cass retorted, backing out of the room before closing the bulkhead between them.

"Cass!" The Eighth Doctor shouted, banging on the door, pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"It's deadlocked." Cass shook her head. "Don't even try."

"Cass, just open the door." He begged. "I'm trying to help!"

"Go back to your battlefield." She sneered. "You haven't finished yet. Some of the universe is still standing."

"I'm not leaving this ship without you!"

"Well, you're going to die right here. Best news all day."

"Cass!" The Eighth Doctor banged on the door as Cass looked around, alarms wailing. "Cass! Cass! _Cass!_ "

 _Outside, Planet's surface_...

Women in red robes approached the wreckage of the crashed ship. Their leader, Ohila clicked her tongue when she saw it.

"And there he is at last. The man to end it all." Ohila spoke. "Eulalia, it is just as you predicted."

"Yes." Eulalia, the brunette and light-blue-eyed woman from before, replied softly as she stepped up next to Ohila. "It seems the Doctor has returned to Karn."

Ohila nodded. "My Sisters, we have always known in our bones that one day he would return here."

Eulalia looked down at the Eighth Doctor when she and Ohila found him.

Eulalia sighed. "'Tis such a pity he's dead."

Inside, Sisterhood temple...

"Cass!" The Eighth Doctor blurted, groaning as he sat up straight against a stone altar.

"If you refer to your companion, we are still attempting to extract her from the wreckage." Ohila told him.

"She wasn't my companion." He shook his head.

"She's almost certainly dead. No one could survive that crash."

"I did."

"No. We restored you to life." Ohila corrected. "But it's a temporary measure. You have a little under four minutes."

"Four minutes." He blanched. "That's ages! What if I get bored or need a television, couple of books? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting."

"You have so little breath left, Doctor." Eulalia suddenly spoke up as she kneeled beside him, gently cupping the side of his face. "I suggest you spend it wisely."

"Hang on." The Eighth Doctor said in realization as Eulalia lowered her hand away from his face. "Is it you?" He questioned, looking around as Eulalia got to her feet again. "Am I back on Karn? You're the Sisterhood of Karn, Keepers of the Flame of utter boredom."

Ohila narrowed her eyes. "Eternal life."

"That's the one."

"Mock is if you will, but our elixir can trigger your regeneration, bring you back." Ohila told him. "Time Lord science is elevated here on Karn. The change doesn't have to be random. Fat or thin, young or old, man or woman?"

The Eighth Doctor scowled. "Why would you do this for me?"

"You have helped us in the past."

"You were never big on gratitude."

Ohila sighed. "The War between the Daleks and the Time Lords threatens all reality. You are the only hope left."

Instantly, the Eighth Doctor shook his head. "It's not my War. I will have no part of it."

"I hate to break it to you, Doctor, but..." Eulalia chimed in, crossing her arms as she gazed down at the man before her. "you can't ignore this forever."

"I help where I can." He replied, glancing at Eulalia. "I will not fight."

Ohila tilted her head slightly as she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Because you are the good man, as you call yourself?"

"I call myself the Doctor."

"It's the same thing in your mind."

"I'd like to think so."

Ohila narrowed her eyes, then looked over as her and Eulalia's Sisters returned, carrying someone between them. "In that case, Doctor, attend your patient." The Eighth Doctor's eyes widened when he saw Cass's body before he ran over to scan her as she was laid on the stone altar. "You're wasting your time." Ohila shook her head. "She is beyond even our help."

"She wanted to see the universe." The Eighth Doctor whispered.

"She certainly didn't miss much." Eulalia scoffed. "It's very nearly over."

"I could have saved her." He shook his head. "I could have got her off, but she wouldn't listen."

"Then she was wiser than you." Ohila remarked. "She understood there was no escaping the Time War. You are part of this, Doctor, whether you like it or not."

"I would rather die." The Eighth Doctor said nobly.

"Well, it seems you're getting what you want, considering you are a dead man walking." Eulalia retorted. "The question is... How many more will let join you?" She glanced down at Cass's body. "If she could speak, what would she say?"

"To me?" He snorted. "Nothing. I'm a Time Lord. Everything she despised."

"She would beg your help." Ohila immediately cut in before sharing a look with Eulalia, said woman giving her a nod before they looked back to him. "Just as your dear Glorious would as well."

"Glorious?" The Eighth Doctor frowned. "I'm a afraid I do not know of whom you speak."

"But you will." Eulalia smiled knowingly. "And she is going to mean something to you. Something that you yourself have not felt for a very long time. It takes a special someone to get close to a man as dangerous as you, Doctor... Especially a someone who does not have a care in the universe for what could happen to her as long as it means keeping your family as safe as they can be."

"I have no family." The Eighth Doctor said adamantly, shaking his head. "Not anymore."

Eulalia smirked. "And you are so wrong."

"Why would anybody want to get close anyone during a time like this?" He questioned. "During this despicable War?"

"We never said a thing about it being during this War." Ohila pointed out, making him shut his mouth in surprise. "The Glorious would ask you to help, Doctor, as we beg your help now. The universe stands on the brink. Will you let it fall? Fast or strong? Wise or angry? What do you need now?"

Ohila and Eulalia watched as the Eighth Doctor picked up Cass's baldric, running his fingers over it before deciding. "Warrior."

"Warrior?" Ohila asked to make sure.

"I don't suppose there's a need for a doctor anymore." He nodded. "Make me a warrior now."

Ohila nodded and accepted a steaming chalice from one of her and Eulalia's Sisters. "As soon as Eulalia informed me of your impending arrival, I took the liberty of preparing this myself."

The Eighth Doctor took it. "Get out. Get out, all of you!" The Sisters obeyed, and just before Ohila and Eulalia we're out of sight, he asked, "Will it hurt?"

"Yes." Ohila didn't hesitate to answer.

"Good." He responded.

"Good luck." Eulalia told him as she and Ohila exited the room. "You're going to need it."

The Eighth Doctor took a deep breath now that he was alone. "Charley, C'Rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly... Friends, companions I've known, I salute you. And Cass, I apologize. And to this Glorious I have heard of... for you, my dear." He raised the chalice. "Physician, heal thyself."

He then drank the elixir in the chalice before doubling over, clutching his head in pain as regeneration energy exploded through him.

Soon after...

When the regeneration was over, Ohila walked over to the bent over Doctor, Eulalia watching curiously from the entrance of the room.

"Is it done?" Ohila asked.

The man straightened and took Cass's baldric before putting it on.

"Doctor no more." The War Doctor confirmed.

* * *

 **A/N: There you go!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this because I really enjoyed writing it. :)**

 **I also hope you liked Eulalia. As I said in the AN at the beginning of this chapter, we won't be seeing her again for quite a while.**

 **I mean, since Eulalia showed up at the same time Ohila did, you can probably guess when she'll appear next.**

 **Anyway, there's not much else to say at the moment, I suppose. So, I bid you a temporary farewell.**

 **To be continued in... " _The Day of the Doctor_ "!**

 **Until then! 😘**

 ** _💋 Love always,_**

 ** _~Maddy_**


	61. The Day of the Doctor: Part 1

**A/N: *takes a deep breath***

 **HELLOOOOOOOO THERE!**

 **Hi.**

 **Okay, I'm like seriously so excited for y'all to read this gem of an episode!**

 **I've worked my hardest to make this something all of you will enjoy. It is definitely one of my favorites. ️**

 **Anyway, instead of doing a guest stars list, I've put together a bit of a cast list instead.**

 **So... here it is!**

 **~o0o~**

CAST

• **Matt Smith** as _The Eleventh Doctor_

• **Karen Gillan** as _Lexi Pond_ / _The Glorious_

• **David Tennant** as _The Tenth Doctor_

• **Emma Stone** as _Jupiter Pond_

• **Richard Madden** as _Skyler_ " _Sky_ " _Pond_

• **Tom Hiddleston** as _Lucas Harper_

• **Jenna Coleman** as _Clara Oswald_

• **John Hurt** as _The War Doctor_

• **Elizabeth Olsen** as _Dr. Lake Sonata_

 **~o0o~**

 **Ooh, a new OC... I wonder who she is?**

 **It may be a bit... eh, to put a brand new OC into such a monumental episode as this one, but I could not pick another time/episode in this series that I liked better for her introduction. And besides, with what Dr. Sonata has to do with... well, this episode is definitely the best pick to bring her into the storyline.**

 **Now, I won't keep y'all waiting much longer. However, I just wanted to say one more thing...**

 **Thank you so much to all who have read, voted and commented on this story! ️️️ I don't know where it would be had it not been for all of you. When you comment and give me feedback, it gives me the confidence to keep on going and creating this series for y'all. I love and appreciate every single one of you!**

 **Okay, enough of me being mushy.**

 **This episode was so much fun to do! :)**

 **We've got bickering time twins, teasing companions, three Doctors, and one glorious Lexi to take on everything! *squeals excitedly***

 **So, without further ado, I very happily present to you... " _The Day of the Doctor_ "!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, Classroom, Day_...

"' _Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one._ ' Marcus Aurelius." Clara quoted as she wrote on the board of a classroom in Coal Hill Secondary School, the school at which she was now teaching.

The bell to end the day then rang and Clara nodded to her students, allowing them to leave.

"Oh, Miss Oswald?" A familiar voice said as its owner came to stand in the doorway of the classroom.

Clara grinned, not looking away from erasing some stuff on the board. "Yes, Mister Harper?"

Lucas chuckled, leaning out of the door to look both ways down the hall to be sure no one was listening before he entered the classroom fully. "We've been summoned."

"Have we now?" Clara questioned, raising an eyebrow as she glanced back at him.

Lucas smirked, holding up his phone to show he had received a set of coordinates. "Come on."

Clara laughed in excitement, snatching her black leather jacket off her desk before she and Lucas eagerly rushed from the classroom.

 _Outside, Country street_...

Now wearing helmets and riding two of the motorbikes they had ridden during their first encounter with the Doctor and Lexi, Clara and Lucas stopped at the crest of a hill and looked down to where the TARDIS was parked on the side of the road.

The duo shared a look, smiling before continuing on and honking the motorbikes' horns as they got closer, seeing the doors open.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Clara drove right through the open doors, Lucas doing the same right after her before they each came to a stop by the console and removed their helmets.

"Draught!" The Doctor's called to them, not looking their way as he turned the page of the ' _Advanced Quantum Mechanics_ ' book he was reading.

With a slight smirk, Clara snapped her fingers, making the doors close as the Doctor closed his book.

"Fancy a week in ancient Mesopotamia?" The Doctor questioned as he stood up from where he sat on the stairs that lead to below the console before turning around to face Clara and Lucas. "Followed by future Mars?"

"Will there be cocktails?" Clara tilted her head.

"Not only will there be cocktails, but..." Lexi said as she entered the console room while straightening out her long green waterfall Duster coat, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs. "it will be on the Moon."

Lucas grinned as she came down the stairs. "Oh, I think the Moon'll very nicely."

They laughed, Lexi grabbing Lucas and pulling him into a hug as the Doctor did the same with Clara.

"So, how's the new job?" The Doctor asked Clara as they pulled away from their hug. "Teach anything good?"

"No." Clara grinned, nodding at his advanced quantum mechanics book. "Learn anything?"

"Not a thing." The Doctor shook his head, smiling slightly.

"And what about you, Lucas? How does it feel to be thirty? The big three-o?" Lexi questioned as she and Lucas pulled away from their hug. "By the way, I'm so sorry that we missed it."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Lucas waved her off. "Thirty is thirty. I'm sure you remember how it feels."

"A good twenty-one years in my past, but yeah." Lexi shrugged, but smiled nonetheless before she and everyone else were suddenly thrown about as the TARDIS all of a sudden rocked, one of the monitors on the console lighting up with an alert.

"What's happening?!" Clara exclaimed as she hurried to get her balance as Lucas grabbed onto the console.

"Whoa, whoa!" The Doctor blinked as he looked at the monitor. "We're taking off, but the engines aren't going!"

Lexi hurried and opened the TARDIS doors, blinking when she looked down. "I do believe the reason for that, dearie, would be because of that."

The Doctor quickly went over to where she was and poked his head out, eyes widening when he saw the helicopter above them. "Ah."

Lexi rolled her eyes before opening the outside panel, reaching for the TARDIS phone.

 _Outside, Tower of London, Courtyard_...

A young woman in a white lab coat and a long multi-colored scarf, Osgood, walked into the courtyard of the Tower of London before stopping abruptly when the sound of the TARDIS was heard. Except, in this instance, it was as a phone's ringtone.

"Hello, Kate Stewart's phone?" Osgood greeted as she answered.

" _This is the Glorious._ " Lexi's voice came through the line. " _I need to speak to Kate Stewart immediately, please._ "

"Oh, hold on." Osgood said before running over to where two blonde women were sitting on one of the benches that overlooked the greenery. "Excuse me, sorry, ma'am! Ma'am!"

"The ravens are looking a bit sluggish." Kate Stewart said, passing a granola bar to the woman sitting next to her. "Tell Malcolm they need new batteries."

"It's her." Osgood stated, holding out Kate's phone towards her. "Sorry, it's your personal phone, but, well, I recognized the ringtone. It's her, isn't it?"

"Osgood dear, inhaler." The woman sitting next to Kate, Dr. Lake Sonata, finally spoke up before taking a bite of the granola bar Kate had given her.

Kate sighed, taking the phone from Osgood before putting it up to her ear. " _Lexi, or Glorious, hello._ " She greeted quickly, still getting used to calling Lexi by her title. " _We found the TARDIS in a field. I'm having it brought in._ "

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"No kidding." Lexi rolled her eyes, still standing just inside the open TARDIS doors.

" _Where are you?_ " Kate's voice asked, Lexi then holding up the phone towards the helicopter in response.

 _Outside, Tower of London, Courtyard_...

"Oh, my God!" Kate gasped, quickly standing up from the bench. "Oh, Glorious, I'm so sorry. We had no idea you were still in there." She apologized before nodding at Osgood and Lake to follow her. "Come on."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Suddenly, the helicopter carrying the TARDIS veered sharply, the Doctor yelping as he fell out of the door.

"Doctor!" Clara leapt forward and grabbed his feet as Lexi scooted a bit to the side, gripping the doorframe for dear life.

 _Outside, Tower of London_...

"Glorious, can you hear me?" Kate asked as she, Lake and Osgood headed down the steps towards the main exit, Lake reaching inside her long royal blue (Ahem.. TARDIS blue) trench-coat and taking out a set of SUV keys. "I don't think she can hear me."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Kate, next time," Lexi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "please just knock."

" _I'm having you taken directly to the scene._ " Her voice replied.

"Gotcha." Lexi said quickly before hanging up, looking down as the Doctor attempted to change positions, now hanging onto the base of the TARDIS with his hands. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"Don't really have any alternatives." The Doctor shrugged.

"We could've pulled you back in!" Lexi exclaimed, eyes wide.

"...Oh."

Clara and Lucas couldn't help but laugh out loud as Lexi thumped her head against the doorframe at her husband's response.

 _Outside, Trafalgar Square_...

The helicopter flew over Trafalgar Square, lowering the TARDIS down onto the ground.

The Doctor nimbly dropped the last few feet before the TARDIS was then lowered completely.

"Attention!" One of the UNIT soldiers called, all of them snapping to attention as Lexi, Clara and Lucas exited.

The Doctor threw up a salute as well, then blinked. "Why am I saluting?"

"Who knows." Lexi sighed, putting his hand down for him as they watched Kate walk through the group, a young blonde woman in a long 'royal blue' trench-coat and a young brunette woman in a white lab coat, glasses, and a multi-colored scarf following her.

"Doctor, as Chief Scientific Officer, may I extend the official apologies of UNIT." Kate stated.

"Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, a word to the wise," The Doctor told her. "as I'm sure your father would've told you, I don't like being picked up." Lexi cleared her throat, the Doctor pointing at her. "Except by my wife."

"And don't you forget it." Lexi smirked.

Lucas closed his eyes. "Please stop."

"I'm acting on instructions direct from the throne." Kate held up an envelope. "Sealed orders from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First."

"The Queen?" Clara blinked. "The First? Sorry, Elizabeth the First?"

"Her credentials are inside." Kate nodded, then shook her head as the Doctor went to open the envelope. "No. Inside."

Lexi raised an eyebrow when Kate pointed to the National Gallery behind her. "Alright then."

"Nice scarf." The Doctor winked at Osgood as they headed for the steps.

"Love the coat." Lexi commented to Lake, giving her a small smile as she passed by her.

"What's our cover story for this?" Kate asked as they followed.

"Er, Derren Brown." Osgood answered.

"Again?"

"Oh, don't worry. We sent him flowers." Lake assured her, her out-of-place American accent ringing through amongst all the British people around her.

Clara and Lucas couldn't help but snicker as they headed inside.

 _Inside, National Gallery_...

"Did you know her, Elizabeth the First?" Clara asked as they walked through the National Gallery.

"Unified Intelligence Taskforce." The Doctor told her.

"Sorry?"

"This lot, UNIT. They investigate alien stuff. Anything alien."

"What, like you?"

"I work for them."

 _Inside, National Gallery, Main gallery_...

Lucas raised an eyebrow as they all passed through a set of doors into another, larger gallery. "I can't exactly see you having a job."

"Why shouldn't I have a job?" The Doctor defended himself. "I'd be brilliant at having a job."

Lexi smirked. "Dearie, I love you, but this is not your job."

"Okay, it's our job." He amended. "We are doing it now."

"That's not what I meant." Lexi shook her head. "We save the universe. We have done, multiple times. In case you've forgotten, it's not limited to UNIT."

"...Fair point." He conceded after a moment's pause before stiffening when a painting in front of them was uncovered.

"Oh, my God..." Lexi whispered, mouth slightly agape as she gazed upon the painting of a fiery citadel under attack. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Elizabeth's credentials." Kate said uneasily.

"But–" Clara stammered. "But that's... that's not possible."

"What the hell is going on?" Lucas questioned softly, squinting his eyes as he examined the painting.

"No more." The Doctor mumbled.

"That's the title." Kate confirmed.

"I know the title."

"Also known as Gallifrey Falls."

"We know the title." Lexi took a deep breath, squeezing the Doctor's hand.

"This is Gallifrey?" Lucas blinked, taking a step forward as he now realized why the Doctor and Lexi had reacted the way they did.

"Yes." Lexi nodded. "Yes, it is... This is Gallifrey."

"This painting doesn't belong here, not in this time or place." The Doctor shook his head.

"But this... this isn't..." Lucas trailed off as he and Clara went forwards to examine it more closely.

"It's the fall of Arcadia, Gallifrey's second city." The Doctor explained.

"But how can it be doing that?" Clara tilted her head as she cautiously reached forward, her eyes widening when her hand went straight through and into the painting itself. "How is that even possible? It's an oil painting in 3D."

"Well, what's a thing Time Lords are known for?" Lexi raised an eyebrow. "What's a special thing about the TARDIS?"

"Bigger on the inside." Lucas guessed as he stepped back from the 3D painting.

"Time Lord art." The Doctor confirmed. "A slice of real time, frozen."

"Elizabeth told us where to find it." Lake finally spoke up, making everyone except the Doctor glance her way. "She also informed us of its significance."

Lexi turned back to see the Doctor swallow, not taking his eyes off the painting. "Are you alright?"

"He was there." Was all the Doctor said.

Lexi inhaled sharply, remembering the time right before she and the Doctor had gone on their honeymoon, the time when he had shared all of his memories with her.

"Who was?" Clara frowned.

"Me." The Doctor said. "The other me. The one I don't talk about."

"The one you don't talk about? I don't understand." Lucas frowned.

The Doctor took a shaky breath. "I've had many faces, many lives. I don't admit to all of them. There's one life I've tried very hard to forget. He was the Doctor who fought in the Time War, and that was the day he did it. The day I did it. The day he killed them all. The last day of the Time War, the War to end all wars between my people and the Daleks. And in that battle, there was a man with more blood on his hands than any other. A man who would commit a crime that would silence the universe. And that man... was me."

 _Outside, Arcadia_...

In the city of Arcadia, in the ruins of a building, the War Doctor stepped out of his TARDIS and examined the destruction.

He nodded to the stunned man in front of him. "Soldier, I'm going to need your gun."

The soldier quickly handed it over, the War Doctor then shooting a message into the wall behind him as he heard the Daleks approach.

When he finished inscribing **_NO MORE_** , the War Doctor handed the gun back and retreated to his TARDIS to save one of the Gallifreyan families nearby before flying off somewhere far, far away. He knew what he had to do.

This War was going to end today.

 _Inside, Corridor, Arcadia_...

"The High Council is in emergency session." The Time Lord Androgar stated, walking down a corridor of the Citadel where the War Council was meeting. "They have plans of their own."

The War Council's leader, the General, scoffed as he walked alongside him. "To hell with the High Council. Their plans have already failed."

 _Inside, Map room, Arcadia_...

"Gallifrey's still in the line of fire." The General continued as he and Androgar entered the map room where a number of other Time Lords and Time Ladies were monitoring the action around the planet. "So, he was there, then?"

"He left a message, a written warning for the Daleks." Androgar confirmed, pulling up a projection of the message the War Doctor had left: **_NO MORE_**. "He's a fool."

"No." The General growled. "He's a madman."

Androgar then switched the projection. "As you can see, sir, all Dalek fleets surrounding the planet, now converging on the capital, but the Sky Trenches are holding."

Just then, the building shook as something exploded nearby, but the General just continued. "Where did he go next?"

"What does it matter?" Androgar asked in exasperation. "This is their biggest ever attack, sir. They're throwing everything at us."

"Sir," A Time Lady said as she hurried to the table. "we have a security breach to the Time Vaults."

The General frowned, seeing which Vault had been broken into. "The Omega Arsenal, where all the forbidden weapons are locked away."

"They're not forbidden anymore." Androgar shook his head. "We've used them all against the Daleks."

"No." The General shook his head slowly, feeling a dreadful headache approaching. "No, we haven't."

 _Inside, Omega Arsenal, Arcadia_...

"The Moment is gone." The General said as he looked upon an empty plinth in the Omega Arsenal.

"I don't understand." Androgar frowned. "What is the Moment? I've never heard of it."

"The galaxy eater." The General answered. "The final work of the ancients of Gallifrey. A weapon so powerful, the operating system became sentient. According to legend... it developed a conscience."

"And we've never used it?"

"How do you use a weapon of ultimate mass destruction when it can stand in judgment on you?" The General asked. "There's only one man who would even try."


	62. The Day of the Doctor: Part 2

_Outside, Desert, Day..._

The War Doctor stopped walking away from his TARDIS, looking upon the lonely barn he was heading for.

"Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro, I serve notice on you all." He declared. "Too Long I have stayed my hand. No more. Today, you leave me no choice. Today, this war will end. No more... No more."

 _Inside, Barn..._

The War Doctor entered the barn and removed the sack he had over shoulder, walking to the center of the room before lowering it to reveal a brass box with clockwork inscribed into it.

"How do you work?" He frowned. "Why is there never a big red button?" He then looked up when he heard a noise outside. Frowning, he went to open the door. "Hello?" He looked outside. "Is somebody there?"

"You wouldn't be able here a single thing." A female voice behind him said, making the War Doctor whirl around in shock. "This place is deserted. You'd be waiting ages out here for... well, anything."

The woman before him was wearing an Emerald green 1950s swagger coat over a purple button down blouse that had a round Peter Pan styled collar, a black calf-length pencil skirt, paired with red peep toe platform heels with thin ankle straps, while her vibrant red hair was was styled up in an Audrey Hepburn-esque high chignon.

The War Doctor had just enough time to take in the woman's appearance before he leapt forward. "Don't sit on that!" He snapped, tugging her off.

"Why not?" She frowned.

"Because it's not a chair, it's the most dangerous weapon in the universe!" He shoved her out the door and closed it behind her, sighing.

"Why can't it be both?" The woman asked from behind him, startling him and making him spin around to see her sitting back on the Moment. She smirked at him, crossing her long legs. "Why did you park so far away? Didn't you want her to see it?"

"Want who to see?" The War Doctor frowned.

"The TARDIS." She grinned, uncrossing her legs before getting to her feet and walking around. "You walked for miles. And miles and miles and miles and miles."

The War Doctor blinked. "I was thinking."

The woman whipped around to face him. "I heard you."

"You... heard me?"

"'No more.'" The woman nodded. "No more... No more."

"No more." The War Doctor repeated.

"No more." She said in a sing-song voice as she did a little twirl on the toe of the heels she was wearing. "No more!"

"Stop it!" The War Doctor scowled.

She did with a pout before whispering, "No more." and winking at him.

"Who are you?" The War Doctor asked before looking down when he heard the noise from the clockwork in the Moment. "It's activating." He said, bending down, not seeing the woman's eyes flash gold. "Get out of here!" He tried to grab the box, only to hiss in pain. "Ow!"

"What's wrong?" The woman asked innocently, tilting her head.

"The interface is hot." He winced, shaking out his hands.

"Well, thank you." The woman said, smirking slightly as she sat on top of a high crate, crossing her legs again. "Although, as you've said, or will say: I don't believe I'm the right twin for you."

"There's a power source inside." The War Doctor began before his head shot up as the woman's words sunk in.

"And the penny drops!" She grinned.

"You're the interface?" He gasped.

"They must have told you the Moment had a conscience." The woman nodded. "Hello!" She waved cheerily. "Oh, look at you..." She clicked her tongue. "Stuck between a girl and a box. Story of you life, eh, Doctor?"

"You know me?" He stared at the Moment.

"I hear you." She nodded, uncrossing her legs before standing up from the high crate. "All of you, jangling around in that dusty old head of yours. I chose this face and form especially for you. It's from your past." She smiled before blinking as a thought occurred to her. "Or possibly your future. Or maybe just part of your future." She sighed. "Timelines do get confusing, I know. Whoever invented twins, I swear–"

"I don't have a future." The War Doctor cut her off, frowning.

"I think I'm called... Amy Pond." The Moment tilted her head. "No." She blinked. "Yes. No, sorry. No, no, in this form I'm called... _Amelia Williams_." She smirked, her eyes flashing gold. "I do apologize, Doctor. I've taken this form from where the individual ended up after her travels with you."

"Stop calling me Doctor." He scowled.

"That's the name in your head."

"It shouldn't be. I've been fighting this war for a very long time. I've lost the right to be the Doctor."

"Then you're the one to save us all."

"Yes."

The Moment snorted, crossing her arms. "If I ever develop an ego, you've definitely got the job."

"If you have been inside my head, then you know what I've seen." The War Doctor told her. "The suffering. Every moment in time and space is burning. It must end, and I intend to end it the only way I can."

"And you're going to use me to end it by killing them all, Daleks and Time Lords alike." The Moment told him. "I could, but there will be consequences for you."

"I have no desire to survive this." The War Doctor shook his head.

"Then that's your punishment." The Moment said simply. "If you do this, if you kill them all, then that's the consequence. You... live. Gallifrey. You're going to burn it, and all those Daleks with it, but all those children, too... How many children on Gallifrey right now?"

He paused. "I don't know."

"One day, you will count them. One terrible night." The Moment tilted her head. "Do you want to see what that will turn you into?" She held up a hand, a swirling portal opening up in the air above them. "I'm opening windows on your future. A tangle in time through the days to come, to the man today will make of you." Suddenly, a red fez then fell out of the portal and landed in front of them. The War Doctor blinked, only to see the Moment smirk. "And there it is..."

 _Inside, National Gallery, Main gallery..._

"But the Time War's over." Clara said in confusion. "Why have you brought us here to look at a painting?"

"The painting only serves as Elizabeth's credentials, proof that the letter is from her." Kate said. "It's not why you're here."

The Doctor looked down at the envelope in his hands, then broke the wax seal and opened the letter before beginning to read.

~o0o~

 _ **My Dearest Love,**_

 _ **I hope the painting known as Gallifrey Falls will serve as proof that it is your Elizabeth who writes to you now. You will recall that you pledged yourself to the safety of my kingdom. In this capacity, I have appointed you as Curator of the Under Gallery, where deadly danger to England is locked away. Should any disturbance occur within its walls, it is my wish that you be summoned.**_

 _ **Godspeed, gentle husband.**_

~o0o~

"What?!" Lexi exclaimed, eyes wide as she snatched the parchment from the Doctor, scanning over the last sentence.

"I swear, Lex, I've got no idea what that means." The Doctor shook his head wildly.

"Oh, the meaning is pretty damn clear." Lexi narrowed her eyes at the parchment before giving it back to the Doctor. "I mean, I believe you, but... it seems Her Majesty is unaware that you're taken."

"Okay, I'm lost." Lucas raised his hand before pointing at Lexi. "I thought you were married to her."

"I am! What do you think this is?" The Doctor exclaimed, flashing the silver wedding band on his finger before quickly folding the letter back up.

"Well, it seems a certain someone doesn't believe so." Clara smirked, nodding at the letter in the Doctor's hands.

"Stop it." The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the ever-growing grin on Clara's face. "I knew her before I even met Lex." He said before turning towards Kate. "What happened?"

"Easier to show you." Kate gestured away from from the painting.

 _Inside, National Gallery, Small gallery..._

Everyone followed Kate into a smaller gallery, a metal door sliding down behind them as they stopped in front of a painting of Elizabeth, along with another familiar figure.

"Oh, hello, you bad bad boy." Lexi said softly as she looked to where the Doctor's last self was in the painting with Elizabeth.

Clara cast an uneasy glance at Lexi before looking to the Doctor and speaking with weariness. "So, Elizabeth the First... You knew her, then?"

The Doctor grabbed Lexi's hand, giving it a squeeze as they kept their eyes on the large portrait. "A long time ago."

 _Outside, Meadow..._

In England, in the year 1562, another version of the TARDIS was parked in a meadow overlooking a river as the Tenth Doctor galloped out on a white horse, a red-haired woman behind him.

"Allons-y!" He whooped, laughing. "There you go, Your Majesty. What did I tell you? Bigger on the inside!"

"The door isn't. You nearly took my head off." Elizabeth sighed dreamily as she leaned her head against the Tenth Doctor's back, her arms wrapped around his middle as she let out a giggle. "It's normally me who does that."

 _Outside, Woods..._

"Okay, when I said 1562, I didn't mean walking through the woods with no phones and no VMs because of some angry villagers who took them and smashed them to pieces, thinking they were some forms of witchcraft." Jupiter huffed, walking alongside Sky as they navigated their way through the forest after having run away from a village that didn't take too kindly to them. "We're stuck here, Sky!"

"Jupe, calm down!" Sky rolled his eyes, he and his sister stepping over a giant log that was in their way. "Be glad they didn't find our sonics on us. At least we still have those."

"Yeah, and how much good are those going to do us right now?" She asked rhetorically, rolling her eyes right back as she pulled her dark crimson jacket tighter around herself before stuffing her hands in the pockets. "I mean, Mum and Dad aren't even going to know look for us."

"Well, if we stay gone long enough, they'll figure out something's not right." Sky pointed out before swinging an arm around his sister's shoulders as they continued walking. "Let's just try to enjoy our time here in Elizabethan England... You know, however long that'll be."

"Not comforting, Skyler." Jupiter shot a glare at her brother before looking straight ahead again. "Oh, you better hope that they find us sooner rather than later."

"They're the Couple of Time." Sky waved her off. "And if the Twins of Time go missing... well, they'll always come looking for us."

Jupiter just closed her eyes and sighed, done with her brother's carefree attitude at the moment.

 _Outside, Meadow..._

"Tell me, Doctor," Elizabeth said as they now were laying on a blanket, having a picnic. "why I'm wasting my time on you. I have wars to plan."

"You have a picnic to eat." The Tenth Doctor pointed out before taking a sip of wine.

She smiled at him. "You could help me."

"Well, I'm helping you eat the picnic." He said, popping a grape into her mouth before tossing one into his own.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "But you have a stomach for war. This face has seen conflict, it's clear as day."

"Oh, I've seen conflict like you wouldn't believe." The Tenth Doctor shook his head. "But it wasn't this face... But never mind that, Your Majesty, up on your feet!" He exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet and holding his hand out to her. "Up, up!"

"How dare you?!" She gasped as she was helped to her feet. "I'm the Queen of England!"

"I'm not English." He shrugged before getting down on one knee. "Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

"Oh, my dear, sweet love. Of course I will!" Elizabeth smiled widely as she leaned in to hug him.

"Ah, gotcha!" The Tenth Doctor jumped to his feet with a grin.

She blinked. "My love?"

"One, the real Elizabeth would never have accepted my marriage proposal." The Tenth Doctor held up a finger. "Two, the real Elizabeth would notice when I just casually mention having a different face. But then, the real Elizabeth isn't a shape-shifting alien from outer space. And..." He held out a wacky gizmo device thingy from behind his back. "Ding!"

She scowled. "What's that?"

"It's a machine that goes –" The machine dinged suddenly. "Ding. Made it myself. Lights up in the presence of shape-shifter DNA. Ooh." He grinned as it lit up. "Also, it can microwave frozen dinners from up to twenty feet, and download comics from the future. I never know when to stop."

Elizabeth shook her head. "My love, I do not understand."

"I'm not your love." The Tenth Doctor glared. "And yes, you do. You're a Zygon."

"A Zygon?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Oh, stop it." He rolled his eyes. "It's over. A Zygon, yes. Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers. Surprisingly good kisser. Think the real Queen of England would just decide to share her throne with any old handsome bloke in a tight suit just 'cause he's got amazing hair and a nice horse?" He pointed to his horse... only to do a double-take when he saw the horse was now the exact alien he had just described. "Oh, it was the horse! I'm going to be King..." He quickly took Elizabeth by the hand. "Run!"

"What's happening?" Elizabeth asked, picking up her skirts to run.

"We're being attacked by a shape-shifting alien from outer space, formerly disguised as my horse."

"What does that mean?"

"It's means... we're gonna need a new horse."

 _Inside, Ruin..._

"Where's it going?" Elizabeth asked as they ran inside an old ruin, each of them pressing against either side of the entry as the Zygon went past.

"I'll hold it off." The Tenth Doctor waved her off as he went over to her. "You run. Your people need you."

"And I need you alive for our wedding day." She nodded, kissing him hard before running off.

"Oh, good work, Doctor, nice one. The Virgin Queen? So much for history." He muttered to himself before running in the other direction.

 _Outside, Woods..._

"Sky, we've been walking for hours!" Jupiter complained, crossing her arms as she and Sky continued to wander through the forest. "I swear, you have no sense of direction. This better not turn into a version of Hansel and Gretel."

"I doubt we're going to stumble upon a candy house owned by a psychotic witch." Sky rolled his eyes, holding a branch out of the way for his sister to walk past before falling into step alongside her again. "I mean, what are the chances of something like that happening?"

Jupiter scoffed, kicking a small rock out of the way. "Do you recall, at all, any of the adventures we've had over our life? Anything is possible, brother mine."

"Yes, but Hansel and Gretel is just a fairytale. It doesn't matter!" He said frustratedly as they stopped, each of them leaning against trees as they gathered themselves. "Okay, this arguing isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Neither is wandering around aimlessly through the forest." Jupiter remarked, making Sky thump his head against the tree in exasperation. "Look, you can get as frustrated with me as you like. But, it won't change the fact that everything I've said to you is actually true."

"Fine." Sky sighed, pushing off the tree and continuing on, Jupiter rushing to catch up with him. "Let's go and not look for candy houses and wi–" He was cut off by a scream from off in the distance.

Sky glanced to the side, sharing a look with his sister, grins spreading across their faces before the two of them bolted in the direction of which they heard the scream come from.

 _Outside, Woods, With the Tenth Doctor..._

The Tenth Doctor failed rather miserably in trying to lure the Zygon to him, considering Elizabeth screamed mere seconds later. He ran in her direction, blinking when his device dinged rapidly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa..." He looked around to see who the Zygon could be, then narrowed his eyes. "Oh, very clever." He crouched down, glaring at the lop-eared rabbit on an overgrown stump nearby. "Whatever you've got planned, forget it." He said darkly, not taking notice of a couple of certain someones as they stumbled into the edge of the clearing. "I'm the Doctor. I'm nine hundred and four years old. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness... and you are basically just a rabbit, aren't you?" The rabbit just looked at him, and he sighed before standing back up. "Okay, carry on. Just a... general warning."

"You know, I've got to say, I've never seen someone threaten a rabbit before." Sky spoke up, making the Tenth Doctor whirl around in his direction.

"Although, to be fair, it does seem like a very him thing to do." Jupiter commented, crossing her arms as the Tenth Doctor pointed his device at them before frowning when it didn't make any noise or light up.

"Who are you?" The Tenth Doctor asked them, narrowing his eyes. "You don't look like you're from around here. Not this time or place."

Sky smirked slightly. "We do not know whatith thou speakith of, good sir."

"Explain the clothes." He gestured at the duo with the device.

Jupiter snickered, trying to suppress her grin as she glanced at her ensemble of a crimson jacket and skinny jeans and Sky's jean jacket, black T-shirt and blue jeans.

"What?" Jupiter questioned, looking back to the Tenth Doctor with a small smile. "Thou hast never seen two people trying to impart a bit of new style to the people of the days of yore?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by another shout from off in the distance.

" _Doctor_!"

"Elizabeth!" The Tenth Doctor called back, bolting in the direction of which he had heard her call from.

Sky glanced at his sister. "Oh, my God... That's him!"

"I know!" Jupiter laughed, grabbing her brother's hand before tugging him along to run in the direction of which the Tenth Doctor had gone.

 _Outside, Woods, With Elizabeth and the Tenth Doctor..._

"Elizabeth!" The Tenth Doctor called, running to find her sitting up from where she was lying on the ground.

"That thing." She let him help her up. "Explain what it is. What does it want of us?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." The Tenth Doctor answered just as Sky and Jupiter caught up to where they were, him eyeing them as he continued to speak to Elizabeth. "Probably just your planet."

"Doctor." Another Elizabeth's voice said, making everyone look that way, their eyes widening as a duplicate Elizabeth walked up to them, glaring at the other Elizabeth. "Step away from her, Doctor. That's not me. That's the creature."

The first Elizabeth blinked. "How is that possible? She's me. Doctor, she's me!"

"I am indeed me." The second Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as the Tenth Doctor smacked the gizmo in his hand, trying to get it to work again. "A compliment that cannot be extended to yourself."

"Extraordinary. The creature has captured my exact likeness. This is exceptional."

"Exceptional? A Queen would call it impertinent."

"A Queen would feel compelled to admire the skill of the execution... before arranging one."

"It's not working." The Tenth Doctor huffed in annoyance.

"Oh, this is entertaining." Sky chuckled, him and Jupiter crossing their arms while leaning against a tree as they watched this scene unfold.

"One might surmise that the creature would learn quickly to protect itself from any simple means of detection." The first Elizabeth said as she and the other Elizabeth circled each other.

"Clearly you understand the creature better than I." The second Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "But then, you have the advantage."

Before anyone could speak again, a vortex appeared in the air, spiraling above them, Sky and Jupiter tilting their heads in curiosity as they examined it from where they continued leaning back against the tree.

"Back, both of you, now!" The Tenth Doctor ordered the Elizabeths, both of them doing as ordered. "That's a time fissure, a tear in the fabric of reality. Anything could happen!" Just then, a red fez dropped out of the vortex, landing at the Tenth Doctor's feet, said man blinking in surprise. "For instance... a fez."

Sky and Jupiter couldn't help but share a knowing look. Oh, this was getting good.


	63. The Day of the Doctor: Part 3

_Inside, National Gallery, Small gallery, Day..._

Kate nodded, two soldiers then pulling the portrait away, revealing a hidden doorway. "This way." She said, leading them down into a darker gallery.

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Passage..._

"Welcome to the Under Gallery." Kate said as they walked further into the space. "This is where Elizabeth the First kept all art deemed too dangerous for public consumption."

The Doctor stopped, bending down and scooping up a handful of the sand-like material that covered the floor, then looked between the two rows of statues covered with sheets.

"Stone dust." He mused.

"Is it important?" Kate asked.

"In twelve hundred years, I've never stepped in anything that wasn't." The girl behind him made a noise, and he stood, pointing at her. "Oi, you. Are you science-y?"

She jumped. "Oh, er, well, er... yes."

"Got a name?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've always wanted to meet someone called Yes. Now, I want this stone dust analyzed, and I want a report in triplicate, with lots of graphs and diagrams and complicated sums on my desk tomorrow morning, ASAP, pronto, LOL. See? Job. Do I have a desk?"

"No." Kate shook her head.

"And I want a desk."

"You know, I don't think I ever asked your name." Lexi stated as she glanced at the young blonde woman in the long royal blue trench-coat standing next to her.

"Sonata. Doctor Lake Sonata." Lake gave her a kind smile.

"Peculiar name, Lake Sonata." Lexi titled her head.

"Maybe. But it's mine." She shrugged, making Lexi giggle before looking straight ahead again.

Lexi tilted her head, looking at the young brunette woman. "Now, dearie, what's your real name?"

"Osgood." She answered.

Lexi nodded once, giving her a kind smile. "Do as the Doctor says, Osgood." She then turned to follow the Doctor as he went ahead. "Oh, and don't forget to use that inhaler!"

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Hall..._

The Doctor walked past a display case, paused, then walked back. He grinned, lifting the case up before removing the fez from inside and putting it on his head.

Clara just sighed. "Some day, you could just walk past a fez."

Lucas snorted. "Like that'll ever happen."

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed, snapping his fingers at Lucas before they all then followed after Kate into another room.

Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main room...

They walked into another room that was brightly lit and had wood floors that was littered with numerous shards of glass. On the wall were more 3D paintings.

"3D again." Clara noted.

"Hm." Lexi hummed as she crouched down, carefully picking up a larger shard of glass. "Interesting..."

Lucas looked down at what she was examining. "The broken glass?"

"Where it's broken from." Lexi corrected as she stood back up to her full height. "Look at the shatter pattern. The glass on all these paintings has been broken from the inside."

"As you can see, all the paintings are landscape." Kate gestured. "No figures of any kind."

"So?" The Doctor frowned.

"There used to be." Lake spoke up as she handed over a pad with the original image on it.

"Somethings got out of the paintings." Clara realized as she, Lexi and Lucas crowded around to look at the pad the Doctor was now holding.

"Lots of somethings." The Doctor mumbled. "Dangerous."

Lexi cast a weary glance around them as Kate cleared her throat.

"This whole place has been searched." She told them. "There's nothing here that shouldn't be, and nothing's got out."

All of them then looked up when a vortex opened above them.

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, no. Not now!"

"Doctor, what is it?" Lucas frowned.

"No, not now!" The Doctor complained to the fissure. "I'm busy!"

"Is it to do with paintings?" Lake tilted her head.

"No, no, this is different." He shook his head. "I remember this. Almost remember..." He trailed off as his gaze drifted upwards to the fez on his head. "Oh, of course." He muttered as he took the fez off his head, eyeing it. "This is where I come in." He cast a smile at Lexi before tossing the fez through the fissure and sprinting after it. "Geronimo!"

"Lucas..." Lexi drawled out as she glanced at her companion, nodding at the fissure and raising an eyebrow in question.

He grinned at her, taking her outstretched hand before they took a flying leap into the fissure, laughing as they did so.

"Hey!" Clara called after them.

"Wait." Kate told her, gripping her arm to hold her back.

 _Outside, Woods..._

The Doctor crashed to the ground with a groan, then yelped when an unexpected weight hit him. He then groaned when the last bit of weight hit. "Ow!"

"Haha!" Lexi and Lucas laughed as they rolled off of him and onto the leaf covered ground. "Oh, that was fun."

"Who are these people?" A female voice asked.

"That's just what I was wondering." A familiar voice asked.

"You've got to be kidding me." Two more familiar voices said.

The Eleventh Doctor's head shot up in surprise as he looked up at his last self while Lexi's head shot up at the sound of her childrens' voices.

"Oh, that is skinny." The Eleventh Doctor said, scrambling to his feet as he looked upon the Tenth Doctor, said man wearing his fez. "That is properly skinny. I've never seen it from the outside. It's like a special effect."

Lucas winced as he stood up before helping Lexi to her feet, said woman making a beeline for the time twins.

"What are you two doing here?" She whispered, casting a glance over her shoulder.

"Oi!" The Eleventh Doctor glared at the Tenth Doctor, neither of them paying any attention to Lexi. "Ha! Matchstick Man!"

Lexi just rolled her eyes before looking back to her children. "Well?"

"Yeah, long story." Jupiter said quietly, grabbing her mother by the shoulders and turning her back around and giving her a nudge back in the two Doctors' direction. "One that we can talk about later. Bigger things happening right now."

Lucas looked upon the two men, before his eyes widened slightly.

Realization dawned in the Tenth Doctor's eyes. "You're not..."

The Eleventh Doctor just smirked and whipped out his sonic screwdriver at the same time as his predecessor.

"Really?" Lexi sighed, shaking her head at the immaturity of the two men. "And I thought Rory in Venice was bad enough. This is just bit more self-centered, literally."

"Compensating?" The Tenth Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" The Eleventh Doctor asked as they flipped their screwdrivers before putting them away.

"Regeneration. It's a lottery."

"I think you'll come to find that that's probably more true than you think." Lucas pointed out, making the Tenth Doctor glance at him.

"Lucas." The Eleventh Doctor warned.

"What's the matter, Doctor?" Lexi raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Bit of trouble, have you? Oh, and ixnay on the ring, eh?"

"I'm sorry, what?" The Tenth Doctor asked as the Eleventh Doctor's eyes widened before he quickly slipped off his wedding band and put it inside his jacket.

"Oh, nothing." Lexi waved him off, walking over to the Tenth Doctor and shaking his hand as she smiled at him. "Hi, I'm... Lexi. But people call me Glorious, so..."

"The Doctor." He introduced himself. "Glorious... that's an interesting nickname."

"Oh, I know who you are." Lexi grinned at him. "And yes, a nickname. That's exactly what it is..." She then just giggled before walking back over to stand by Lucas.

"You know, Lex, you're reacting quite calmly to all of this." The Eleventh Doctor noted.

"Why shouldn't I?" She retorted. "It's you. Crazy things always happen with you. Still, it doesn't mean I'm any less curious."

"Eh." The Eleventh Doctor shrugged before a thought was finally processed through his mind and he promptly turned towards Sky and Jupiter. "What are you two doing here?"

"Being immensely entertained." Sky smiled widely.

"Wait, you know them?" The Tenth Doctor pointed at the twins.

Lucas snorted and opened his mouth to say something before Lexi quickly covered it.

"Just don't." Lexi gave him a look before glancing at the Tenth Doctor. "To answer your question, yes, we do. Their names are Sky and Jupiter. By the way, Doctor, love the sandshoes."

The Tenth Doctor glanced down at his Converse before his gazed drifted over the red Converse high-tops Lexi was wearing. "Right back at you." He told her before looking back to the Eleventh Doctor. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I am kind of busy."

"Oh, busy." The Eleventh Doctor considered the two Elizabeths, scowling a bit in the process. "I see. Is that what we're call it, eh? Eh?" He bent down and picked up the fez before putting it on giving a deep bow to the Elizabeths. "Hello, ladies."

"Don't start." The Tenth Doctor sighed.

"Listen, what you get up to in the privacy of your own regeneration is your business."

"As long as it's before you meet me." Lexi said quickly enough to where the Tenth Doctor didn't catch it.

"Look, one of them is a Zygon." The Tenth Doctor told them.

The Eleventh Doctor snorted. "Hey, we're not judging you."

Just then, the time fissure opened again, the Tenth And Eleventh Doctors both then putting on their glasses: the Tenth Doctor his brainy specs, the Eleventh Doctor Amy's reading glasses.

The two Doctors looked at each other and grinned. "Oh, lovely." They complimented, pointing at the glasses.

"Your Majesties, probably a good idea to run." The Eleventh Doctor told the two Elizabeths.

"But what about the creature?" Both asked.

The Tenth Doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one, turn and run in the opposite direction of the other one."

"Of course, my love!" Both said as they approached him.

"Stay alive, my love. I am not done with you yet." The first Elizabeth told the Tenth Doctor, kissing him passionately before running off.

"Thanks. Lovely." The Tenth Doctor said, stunned, Lexi watching wide eyed at the scene happening before her.

"I understand. Live for me, my darling. We shall be together again." The second Elizabeth said before she herself kissed the Tenth Doctor just as passionately before running in the opposite direction from which the first Elizabeth had gone.

"Well, won't that be nice?" The Tenth Doctor muttered.

"Lex..." The Eleventh Doctor cast an uneasy glance at his wife, said woman not taking her eyes off the Tenth Doctor. "Are you... okay?"

"Feeling a bit conflicted at the moment." She replied. "Come back to me."

"Okay, so I'm going to point out the obvious thing." Sky spoke up as he and Jupiter came to stand by Lucas. "One of those was a Zygon."

"Yeah." The Tenth Doctor sighed.

"Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers." The Eleventh Doctor added.

"Yeah."

"Venom sacs in the tongue." Jupiter said with a smirk.

"Okay, all of you, stop." The Tenth Doctor stated. "I'm getting the point."

"For the record, I prefer you." The Eleventh Doctor whispered to his wife.

"You better." Lexi whispered back, smirking slightly.

" _You know, your whole interaction is pretty hilarious from this end._ " Lake's voice came from the fissure.

" _Doctor?_ " Clara called. " _Glorious? Lucas? Are you there?_ "

"Ah, hello, Clara!" The Eleventh Doctor beamed. "Can you hear me?"

" _Yeah, it's me. We can hear you. Where are you?_ "

The Eleventh Doctor looked to his predecessor. "Where are we?"

"England, 1562." He answered.

" _Who are you talking to?_ " Clara wondered.

"Himself." Lexi laughed lightly. "Sky and Jupiter are here, too."

"Hello, Clara!" Sky called to her.

"How's the day been treating you?" Jupiter asked.

" _Very weirdly._ " Clara answered.

"How many companions do you have?" The Tenth Doctor finally asked.

"Don't get me started." The Eleventh told him before looking back up at the fissure.

" _Can you come back through?_ " Kate asked.

"Physical passage may not be possible in both directions." The Eleventh Doctor shook his head. "It's... ah!" He took of his fez. "Fez incoming!"

He tossed it through, then Clara reported. " _Nothing here._ "

"So where did it go?" Lucas asked.

 _Inside, Barn..._

" _Who's he talking to?_ " Clara asked as the War Doctor bent down to pick up the fez before dusting it off a bit.

" _The Glorious said himself._ " Kate's voice pointed out, the War Doctor tilting his head at the mention of the title.

Where had he heard that before?

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main gallery..._

"Keep them talking. Doctor Sonata, stay with Miss Oswald." Kate ordered before turning around and walking off, talking into her phone. "Malcolm? Malcolm, I need you to send me one of my father's incident files. Codenamed Cromer..."

Lake sighed as she and Clara looked back to the fissure, watching as it continued to swirl in the air.

 _Outside, Woods..._

"Okay," The Tenth Doctor began, looking towards his successor. "you used to be me. You've done all this before. What happens next?"

The Eleventh Doctor winced. "I don't remember."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "I think this would be difficult to forget, Doctor."

"Hey, hang on, it's not my fault! He's obviously not paying enough attention!"

The Tenth Doctor sighed, glancing at Lexi. "Is he always like this?"

"Ha!" Lexi let out a laugh. "You have no idea."

"Reverse the polarity!" The Eleventh Doctor suddenly spun around, aiming his sonic at the fissure. The Tenth Doctor joined in, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

The Tenth Doctor frowned. "We're both reversing the polarity."

"Yes, I know that."

"Honestly, Doctor." Sky rolled his eyes. "As you may have noticed, there's two of you. One of you is reversing it, and the other one's reversing back."

"We're confusing the polarity." The Tenth Doctor nodded.

"Okay, one, watch the sass." The Eleventh Doctor told Sky. "And two–" He was cut off, jumping when the fissure flared and a much older man dropped out.

The Eleventh Doctor blanched and grabbed Lexi and Sky before pulling them behind him, the Tenth Doctor doing the same with Lucas and Jupiter.

The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors raised their sonic screwdrivers as the older man straightened, the Eleventh Doctor's fez in his hands.

"Anyone lose a fez?" The War Doctor asked.

"You." The Tenth Doctor narrowed his eyes. "How can you be here? More to the point, why are you here?"

"Who is he?" Lucas whispered to Jupiter.

"I don't know..." She trailed off before glancing to the side and tapping Lexi's shoulder. "Who is that man?"

"Someone that you haven't been shown." The Eleventh Doctor answered for her.

"Good afternoon." The War Doctor nodded politely. "I'm looking for the Doctor."

The two future Doctors looked at each other in surprise.

"Well," The Tenth Doctor cleared his throat as Lucas, Jupiter, Lexi and Sky all snickered behind them. "you've certainly come to the right place."

"Good." The War Doctor nodded. "Right." He said as he gaze then drifted to Lexi, his eyes widening slightly.

Lexi eyed the way he was looking at her. "Are you alright?"

"I was just..." The War Doctor trailed off just as the Moment walked behind Lexi. Obviously no one could see her but the War Doctor given that no one turned to look at her.

"She is not me. And I am not her." The Moment smirked as she circled the group. "'Tis a puzzle, is it not?"

And just like that, the Moment was gone again.

The War Doctor shook his head, all the people in front of him wondering what had caused him to space-out for a moment. "Well, er, who are you all, then?" He asked, everyone opening their mouths to respond when he brightened. "Oh, of course! Are you his companions?"

The Eleventh Doctor blinked. "His companions?"

"Of sorts... I guess?" Lexi said uncertainly, glancing at Sky and Jupiter and giving one look to Lucas before looking back to the War Doctor again. Lexi was not technically a companion anymore. Sky and Jupiter were her and the Doctor's children. And Lucas was Lexi's companion.

Better save all that for a time everyone was together. Like when Clara could get to them.

"They get younger all the time." The War Doctor nodded. He hadn't expected so many, though... Six companions? That seemed a bit much, didn't it? "Well, if you could point me in the general direction of the Doctor..."

"Oh, we definitely can." Jupiter nodded.

"With upmost certainty." Sky agreed.

"The question is..." Lucas trailed off.

"...how to do it." Lexi finished before brightening. "Oh, I know!" She quickly reached into the Eleventh Doctor's jacket, pulling out his sonic before going over to the Tenth Doctor and doing the same. She grinned, flipping the two sonics in the air and pointing them at their respective Doctors. "Ta-da!"

The War Doctor blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah." The Eleventh Doctor nodded.

"Really." The Tenth Doctor nodded as Lexi handed him back his sonic before giving Eleven back his.

"You're me? Both of you?"

"Yep."

The War Doctor pointed at the Eleventh Doctor. "Even that one?"

"Yes!" He whined as Jupiter, Lucas and Sky all burst out laughing while Lexi just look amused at the whole interaction.

"You're my future selves?"

"Yes!" Both numbered Doctors shouted as Lexi couldn't help but join in on the laughter.

"Am I having a midlife crisis?" The War Doctor asked, stepping forward, only to stop and hold his hands up in confusion when the two future Doctors aimed their sonic screwdrivers at him. "Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols!" He snorted. "Look like you've seen a ghost."

"You do..." Lexi sighed, calming down from her laughter. "You do know who you're talking to, right?"

"Still," The Tenth Doctor began as he and the Eleventh Doctor lowered their sonics. "loving the posh, gravelly thing." He complimented. "It's very convincing."

The Eleventh Doctor let out a half-laugh. "Brave words, Dick Van Dyke."

Just then, a group of soldiers ran up, weapons aimed at the whole group, the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors quickly raising and aiming their sonics at them as Lexi pulled Sky behind her while Lucas did the same with Jupiter.

"Encircle then!" The soldiers' leader demanded. "Which of you is the Doctor? The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the Doctor's head."

The War Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Well, this has all the makings of your lucky day."

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main gallery..._

"Okay, I think there's three Doctors now." Clara sighed, crossing her arms.

"Well, it is a strange day." Lake pointed out, smiling slightly while crossing her arms like Clara as Kate returned. "There being three of them... well, things can only go downhill from here."

"A bit pessimistic, don't you think?" Clara snickered, raising an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't worry too much." Kate said. "There is a precedent for all of this."

 _Outside, Woods.._

The nobleman in the lead looked sharply at the fissure. "What is that?"

The War Doctor just sighed as he looked at the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors. "Oh, the pointing again. They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at them?"

" _At least River wasn't the only one with that thought._ " Lexi thought to herself.

"That thing, what witchcraft is it?" The nobleman asked.

"I have had enough witchcraft today." Jupiter grumbled, crossing her arms.

"I said I was sorry!" Sky hissed at her.

"No, you didn't!" She hissed back.

Having not really paid attention to that interaction, the Eleventh Doctor stepped towards the fissure. "Ah, you know, yes. Now that you mention it, that is witchcraft. Yes, yes, yes, witchy witchcraft. Hello!" He called to the fissure. "Hello in there! Excuse me, hello! Am I talking to the Wicked Witch of the Well?"

" _He means you._ " Kate's voice said.

" _Why am I the witch?_ " Clara's voice complained.

"Clara?" The Eleventh Doctor called to the fissure.

There was a moment's pause before said woman's voice spoke again. " _Hello?_ "

"Clara!" The Eleventh Doctor cheered. "Hi, hello. Would you mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves begone?"

" _What... he said._ "

Sky snorted. "A bit more color, I think!"

" _Right._ " Clara's voice mumbled. " _Prattling mortals, of you pop, or I'll... turn you all into frogs!_ "

"Perfect, Miss Oswald!" Lexi called to her, giggling as all the soldiers blanched at Clara's declaration.

"Alright, everyone, you heard her." The Eleventh Doctor grinned.

" _Doctor, what's going on?_ " Clara asked in exasperation.

"It's a..." The Eleventh Doctor waved a hand around. "Timey-wimey thing."

"Timey what?" The War Doctor blinked. "Timey-wimey?"

"I've got no idea where he picks that stuff up." The Tenth Doctor began just as one of the Elizabeths walked into the clearing.

All the soldiers then fell to their knees. "The Queen!"

Elizabeth frowned as she looked over the group. "You don't seem to be kneeling. How tremendously brave of you."

"Which one are you?" The Tenth Doctor narrowed his eyes. "What happened to the other one?"

"Indisposed." Elizabeth smirked. "Long live the Queen."

"Long live the Queen!" The soldiers echoed.

"Arrest these men and women." Elizabeth ordered. "Take them to the Tower."

"That is not the Queen of England." The Tenth Doctor pointed. "That's an alien duplicate!"

Lexi scoffed. "And you can take it from him 'cause he's really checked."

The Tenth Doctor shot a glare at her. "Oh, shut up."

"Venom sacs in the tongue."

"Seriously, stop it!"

"Why?" Lexi challenged, raising an eyebrow at the Tenth Doctor. "Out of everyone here, I think you'll find that I'm the one that has the most right to say any of this to you." She smirked before blinking as a thought was finally processed in her mind and she promptly turned to Elizabeth and the soldiers. "Hang on. The Tower. Did you say the Tower? Oh, haven't been there in quite some time. It really is brilliant. A spot of breakfast would do good as well. Will there be Wi-Fi?"

The War Doctor frowned. "Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands about?"

"Sorry, habit I picked up from him." Lexi said quickly, pointing at the Eleventh Doctor who kept looking at her amusedly. "Anyway, doesn't matter." She shook her head before looking back at the soldiers. "I demand to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately with my co-conspirators: the Impossible Man, Thing One, Thing Two, Sandshoes, Grandad and Chinny."

That got mixed reactions from everyone.

"I should've seen that coming." Lucas sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Ah, Canton and Nixon." Sky sighed fondly at the memory of him and the Eleventh Doctor being caught after braking into the Apollo 11 module.

"Why is he Thing One when I was born first?" Jupiter wondered out loud.

"Grandad?" The War Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"They're not sandshoes!" The Tenth Doctor complained, having decided he didn't like the term.

"Chinny?" The Eleventh Doctor asked in surprise.

"Okay, one: I couldn't come up with a better name for you." Lexi told the War Doctor before looking to the Tenth. "Don't be too offended. I'm wearing ones that are similar." She then looked to the Eleventh. "And do I even need to answer that?"

"Silence!" Elizabeth snapped. "The Tower is not to be taken lightly. Very few emerge again."

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main gallery..._

"Dear God, that woman's glorious." Kate breathed. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Clara asked as they headed away from the fissure.

"Our office." Lake smiled wide. "Or, if you prefer, the Tower of London."


	64. The Day of the Doctor: Part 4

_Inside, Tower of London, Cell, Day_...

"Oi, you lot." The warden snapped as the entire group was tossed into one of the Tower cells. "Get in there!"

"Ow." The War Doctor muttered, wincing.

The door slammed shut, Lexi then immediately picking up a long nail that was laying on the floor before tossing it to the Eleventh Doctor, said man effortlessly catching it before going over to a stone pillar and scratching into it.

"What are you doing?" The Tenth Doctor asked, eyeing how the Eleventh Doctor and Lexi seemed to work together so smoothly, speaking to each other without words.

"Three of you in one cell, you do the math." Lexi said as she passed by him, walking over to the other side of the room and leaning against another stone pillar.

"Nasty anomalies if we don't get out soon, I suppose." The Tenth Doctor amended before looking to the Eleventh Doctor. "So, what are you doing?"

"Getting us out." He answered.

The War Doctor went over to sonic the door, but the Tenth Doctor shook his head. "The sonic won't work on that. It's too primitive."

"How 'bout we ask for a quality door? You know, that way we can escape." Jupiter rolled her eyes before going over and standing on her tip-toes to try and see out of the barred window that was a bit high up. She squeaked in surprise when she felt herself being lifted up and placed on a shoulder. She looked down only to be met with the smug face of her brother. "Thanks."

Sky smirked up at her. "No problem, sister mine."

Jupiter just shook her head amusedly before looking out the window again.

"Okay," The Tenth Doctor began as he paced, tearing his gaze away from the twins' interaction. "so, the Queen of England is now a Zygon, but never mind that. Why are we all together? Why are we all here? Well, me and... Chinny, we were surprised. But you came looking for us." He pointed at the War Doctor. "You knew it was going to happen. Who told you?"

"Oi! I can make my peace with Lex calling me that, but not you." The Eleventh Doctor protested as the Moment held a finger to her lips, winking at the War Doctor from where she leaned against the other side of the stone pillar Lexi was leaning against.

The War Doctor tilted his head as he gazed at the two, taking note of the similarities in their attire. Different styles of articles of clothing, but the same colors... Green jackets. Purple shirts. Black skinny jeans and a black pencil skirt. Red Converse high-tops and red peep-toe heels.

"Okay, can we just agree that you do have a chin?" Lucas sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall by where Jupiter sat on one of Sky's shoulders, trying to see out of the window.

Lexi snorted at that comment, pushing off the pillar before walking towards the back of the cell, the Moment disappearing as Lexi walked in front of her.

 _Outside, Tower of London, Courtyard_...

"The Doctor and the Glorious will be trying to send us a message." Kate said into her phone as they walked towards the Tower entrance. "We're looking for a string of numerals from around 1550, approximately. Priority one. I'm going to need access to the Black Archive."

 _Inside, Tower of London, Corridor_...

"The Black Archive, highest security rating on the planet." Kate explained as they walked down a corridor. "The entire staff have their memories wiped at the end of every shift. Automated memory filters in the ceiling." Clara looked up nervously as they walked up to the guard on duty. "Access, please."

"Ma'am." He nodded, taking her key.

"Atkins, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am. First day here."

"How long has it really been?" Clara whispered as she leaned over to Lake.

"I've only been with UNIT for six months." She whispered back. "And I even know he's been here for ten years."

"Right." Clara said, standing up straight.

 _Inside, Tower of London, Black Archive_...

"So... Lock and key, then?" Clara asked as they entered the warehouse-like space. "But basic, isn't it?"

"Can't afford electronic security down here." Kate shook her head. "No offense to the Glorious, but we've gotta keep her husband out. The whole of the Tower is TARDIS proof. The Doctor really wouldn't approve of the collection."

"No kidding." Clara muttered, looking around. "But still, you let me in."

"You have a top-level security rating from your last visit six months ago." Lake spoke up, pointing to a board covered in photographs. "I actually met you met my first day here. Your friend Lucas as well."

"Sorry, my what?" Clara blinked, quickly looking at the board, taking notice of the photographs and note on herself and Lucas as well as past companions. She even took notice of a photograph of Lexi standing next to another woman that looked exactly like her as well as a man with dirty blonde hair and green eyes.

" _That must be the family she lost..._ " Clara thought to herself, frowning sadly. That had to be it. That had be the reason. Whenever she got the chance, Clara was going give the Glorious the biggest hug she could.

Clara shook her head before just going and catching up with Lake and Kate.

"We do apologize, Clara." Kate told her. "We have to screen all their known associates. We can't have information about the Doctor and the TARDIS falling into the wrong hands. The consequences could be disastrous."

"What's this?" Clara asked, looking upon a computer on a leather wristband as they entered a large container with glass viewing windows.

"Time travel." Kate answered. "A Vortex Manipulator bequeathed to the UNIT Archive by Captain Jack Harkness on the occasion of his death... Well, one of them. No one can know we have this, not even our allies."

"Why not?" Clara tilted her head slightly.

"Think about it. Americans with the ability to rewrite history? You've seen their movies. No offense, Lake."

"None taken, Kate." She smiled slightly.

"Okay, so this is how we're going to rescue the Doctor, the Glorious and Lucas?" Clara asked, trying to clarify.

"I'm not sure there's enough power for a two-way trip." Kate said. "In any event, we don't have the activation code. The Doctor knows we have this. So does his wife. They always keep the code from us. Let's hope they change their minds." She then turned away when her phone rang. "Yes?" She asked, then paused. "Well, if you've found it, photograph it and send it to my phone."

Clara looked around, waiting, pausing when she saw the two other UNIT people, Osgood and McGillop, walk in. "Er, Kate?" She tapped said woman on the shoulder. "Should they be here? Why have they followed us?"

Kate looked over. "Oh, they've probably just finished disposing of the humans a bit early."

Lake's head shot up, her eyes narrowed. "Kate, what are you talking about?"

'Kate' blinked, then sighed. "Dear me. I really do get into character, don't I?"

Lake yanked Clara back as 'Kate' spat yellow venom at her before morphing into a Zygon.

"The Under Gallery is secured." The Osgood Zygon reported.

Kate's phone lit up with a photograph, and Lake took one look at it before grabbing the VM and quickly putting it inside her jacket.

"Why aren't you putting that on?!" Clara exclaimed, frightened.

"Don't need it." Lake replied, a smirk crossing her features. "Got my own."

With that, Lake surprisingly lowered the sleeve of her royal blue trench-coat to show that she was actually wearing a Vortex Manipulator of her own. She quickly punched in some coordinates.

"Prepare to dispose of two more bodies." The Zygon said. "We have acquired the device."

"Where the hell did you get that?" Clara asked, eyes wide as she glanced at the VM on Lake's wrist.

"In the words of a very dear friend of mine... _Spoilers_." Lake told her with a smirk before looking back to the Zygons as they began advancing. "Sorry, but it seems your plan has failed. Laters!"

Clara quickly grabbed Lake's wrist, said woman turning the Vortex Manipulator on, making them disappear.

 _Inside, Tower of London, Cell_...

"In theory, I can trigger an isolated sonic shift among the molecules, and the door should disintegrate." The War Doctor said as the Eleventh Doctor continued scratching his message into the stone pillar.

The Tenth Doctor instantly shook his head. "We'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance of the entire structure down to a sub-atomic level. Even the sonic would take years."

"It would take centuries!" Lexi called to them from the back of the cell as she paced.

"Well, there went the assets." Lucas rolled his eyes as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"Oh, we might as well get started." The War Doctor sat down. "Help to pass the timey-wimey." Sky and Jupiter snickered at that, both of them now leaning against the stone pillar Lexi had been leaning against earlier. The other two Doctors, however, just looked at their War self. "Do you have to talk like children?" The War Doctor asked his future selves. "What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown-up?" The two of them looked at each other as Lexi came to lean against the pillar the Eleventh Doctor had been scratching with the long nail. "Oh, the way you all look at me. What is that? I'm trying to think of a better word than dread."

"No. Dread is pretty apt, I think." Lexi frowned. "Doctor?"

"It must be really recent for you." The Tenth Doctor remarked.

"Recent?" The War Doctor frowned.

"The Time War." The Eleventh Doctor elaborated. "The last day. The day you killed them all."

The Tenth Doctor shot him a look. "The day we killed them all."

"Same thing." The Eleventh Doctor waved him off before going back to scratching the numbers into the stone pillar.

"It's history for them." The Moment said suddenly, the War Doctor turning to see the woman's image sitting next to him. "All decided. They think their future is real. They don't know it's still up to you."

The War Doctor frowned. "I don't talk about it."

"Why would you?" Lexi frowned, tilting her head as she looked at the War Doctor. "There's no one else here."

"Go on." The Moment urged. "Ask them. Ask them what you need to know."

The War Doctor hesitated, then finally just asked. "Did you ever count?"

"Count what?" The Eleventh Doctor continued scratching.

The War Doctor took a deep breath. "How many children were on Gallifrey that day."

That got a reaction. The Eleventh Doctor stopped scratching, the Tenth Doctor's face drained of all color, and Lexi just looked down at her feet sadly.

"I have absolutely no idea." The Eleventh Doctor said quickly.

"Liar." Lexi mumbled quietly as she continued to look at the floor.

"Glorious?" Lucas got up from his spot on the floor and approached Lexi cautiously.

"How old are you?" The War Doctor asked the Eleventh Doctor.

"Ah... I don't know." He shrugged. "I lose track. Twelve hundred and something, I think. Unless I'm lying." He paused. "I can't remember if I'm lying about my age. That's how old I am."

The War Doctor frowned. "Four hundred years older than me, and in all that time, you've never even wondered how many there were? You never once counted?"

The Eleventh Doctor closed his eyes. Flashes of his life since the Time War went by, most of it being taken up by Lexi and all the memories of them raising their two children. It would absolutely break him to lose them. He knew Lexi would say the same. They may not say it out loud, but Jupiter and Sky were their universe, so-to-speak. And even that was just a small drop in the figurative bucket that was all the children on Gallifrey.

"Tell me..." The Eleventh Doctor said softly, hurting thinking about any of that. "What would be the point?"

The Tenth Doctor snapped his head towards his future self, his gaze cold. "Two point four seven _billion_."

"What?" Lucas's jaw dropped.

"Oh, my God..." Jupiter whispered, clapping a hand over her mouth as she instantly grabbed her brother's hand with her other one. Both of them knew of the horrors their father had faced during the Time War, but they had never actually been told a numerical figure.

"You did count!" The War Doctor pointed at the Eleventh Doctor, said man just shaking his head as he went back to scratching the stone pillar Lexi was still leaning against.

"You forgot?" The Tenth Doctor asked angrily, glaring at his future self. "Four hundred years? Is that all it takes?"

"I moved on." The Eleventh Doctor stopped scratching the pillar and turned to glare at his past self.

"Where?" The Tenth Doctor asked. "Where can you be now that you can forget something like that?"

"Okay, I've had enough of all three of you!" Lexi finally snapped, shaking her head as she pushed off the pillar. "I can't do this anymore." She muttered, brushing past Lucas as she made her way to the back of the cell again as she tried not to take what the Tenth Doctor had asked personally.

"Okay, what's that about?" The Tenth Doctor pointed at Lexi.

The Eleventh Doctor just shook head. "Let's just say you're not doing too well for yourself right now. Haven't been all day."

"I don't know who you are, either of you, any of you." The War Doctor looked around at the people before him. It's like one moment they can all be friendly and laughing, and the next moment they're being all cold and... angry with each other. "I haven't got the faintest idea."

"They're you." The Moment told him quietly. "They're what you become if you destroy Gallifrey. The man who regrets. The man who forgets." She listed off, disappearing before reappearing next to where Lexi was leaning against the back wall. "And the madwoman with him who keeps her madman sane... The moment is coming, Doctor. The Moment is _me_. You have to decide."

"No." The War Doctor shook his head.

"No?" The Tenth Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Just... no."

The Eleventh Doctor chuckled bitterly.

The Tenth Doctor raised an eyebrow coldly. "Is something funny? Did I miss a funny thing?"

"Sorry." The Eleventh Doctor shook his head. "It just occurred to me... this is what I'm like when I'm alone."

"Ha!" Lexi let out a half-laugh, making them look her way. "You really think that? Tell me, when in the last, er... nearly twenty-seven years have you ever felt alone?"

"Twenty-seven... That's oddly specific." The Tenth Doctor commented, crossing his arms as he looked at Lexi, missing the knowing look Sky and Jupiter shared with each other. "Why twenty-seven?"

"You will understand later." The Moment promised the War Doctor. "You've already been putting the puzzle pieces together in your head. It's not that long now." She told him. "But I really do think that we need to be getting out here, eh? Come on, think... It's the same screwdriver. Same software, different case."

The War Doctor blinked. "Four hundred years."

Everyone looked at him.

"I'm sorry?" The Tenth Doctor asked.

"At a software level, they're all the same device, aren't they?" The War Doctor asked, going to the door. "Same software, different case."

"Yeah. So...?"

"So, it would take centuries for the screwdriver to calculate how to disintegrate the door." The War Doctor ran his sonic over the door. "Scanning the door, implanting the calculation as a permanent subroutine in the software architecture, and - if you really are me, with your sandshoes and your dickie bow."

"I wonder if the door's even locked." Lexi tilted her head as she walked forward a bit away from the back wall.

"And that screwdriver is still mine," The War Doctor continued. "that calculation is still going on."

"Putting all this work into trying to disintegrate it, wouldn't hurt to just try and open it." Jupiter shrugged as she walked up beside her mother.

"Yeah, still going." The Tenth Doctor held his sonic to his ear.

"Then again, that would be the easy way out." Sky stated, walking up on the other side of his mother. "I mean, have you seen who we're with?"

The Eleventh Doctor made a noise, and he grinned as he held it to his ear. "Calculation complete."

"Same software, different face." The Moment stressed to the War Doctor as he laughed.

"Hey, four hundred years in four seconds." The Eleventh Doctor grinned. "We may have had our differences, which is frankly odd in the circumstances, but... I tell you what, boys, we are incredibly clever."

"Actually, I think you're incredibly daft." Lucas chimed in.

"Why do you say that?" The Tenth Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Have you not heard anything these three have been saying?" Lucas let out a laugh, pointing with his thumb at Lexi and the time twins.

Suddenly, there was a rustling noise that came from the other side of the door before it was flung upon, Clara and Lake running in right after.

The Eleventh Doctor blinked, looking at the door, which was obviously not broken into. "How did you do that?"

"It wasn't locked." Lake answered.

Clara eyed the the Tenth and War Doctors. "So, they're both you, then, yeah?"

"Yes." The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "You've met them before. Don't you remember?"

"A bit." She nodded, looking over to Lucas. "Lucas, do you?"

"Sort of." He shrugged.

"Okay, here's what I want to know," Lake began, gesturing at the three Doctors. "there's three of you in one cell. So, none of you thought to try the door?"

"I did." Lexi raised her hand.

"Me too." Jupiter chimed in.

"Same." Sky raised his hand.

The War Doctor swallowed, watching Lexi and the time twins. "I don't know who they are..." He whispered.

"You wouldn't really." The Moment answered, appearing next to him. "Come on, though. You have to at least have a clue as to who that woman in the middle is. I look just like her, and yet, we are different." She smiled slightly, turning her head to look at the War Doctor. "I think you will come to find that you are not alone in the universe, Doctor. After the Time War, should you continue this path, you will gain things that will mean everything to you."

And just like she had done previously, the Moment disappeared.

"You know, I am also curious as to what the answer to Doctor Sonata's question is." Clara cleared her throat. "I mean, it is a simple question, after all."

"It... should have been locked." The War Doctor managed to tear his eyes away from Lexi, Jupiter and Sky.

"Yes, exactly!" The Eleventh Doctor exclaimed. "Why wasn't it locked?"

"Because I was fascinated to see what you would do upon escaping." Elizabeth answered as she stepped into the doorway, a slight frown on her face as she gazed over all the people that were there. "I understand you're rather fond of this world. It's time I think you saw what's going to happen to it."


	65. The Day of the Doctor: Part 5

_Inside, Tower of London, Zygon Base, 1562, Day_...

"The Zygons lost their own world." Elizabeth said as they entered a techy part of the Tower's dungeons, Zygons everywhere to be seen. "It burned in the first days of the Time War. A new home is required."

"So they want this one." Clara said.

"Not yet. It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of comfort."

One of the Zygons then turned. "Commander, why are these creatures here?"

"Excuse me?" Lake quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but have you seen yourself?"

Elizabeth just raised eyebrow as well. "Because I say they should be. It's time you, too, were translated." The Zygon just turned back, and Elizabeth nodded. "Observe this. I believe you will find it fascinating."

The Zygon placed its hand on a glass cube with dents in the corners, then vanished.

"Look." Lucas pointed to a familiar 3D painting nearby.

Clara's eyes widened when the Zygon appeared inside of it. "That's him! That's the Zygon in the picture now."

"It's not a picture, it's a Stasis Cube." The War Doctor corrected. "Time Lord art. Frozen instants in time, bigger on the inside, but could be deployed as –"

"Suspended animation." The Tenth Doctor nodded. "Oh, that's very good. The Zygons all pop inside the pictures, wait a few centuries 'til the planet's a bit more interesting, and then out they come."

"You see, Clara," The Eleventh Doctor began. "they're stored in the paintings in the Under Gallery, like cup-a-soups. Except you add time, if you can picture that."

"No one could picture that, dearie." Lexi sighed as the Tenth Doctor eyeing her suspiciously, taking note of the term of endearment.

"Right." The Eleventh Doctor cleared his throat. "Forget I said cup-a-soups."

"You two are slipping." Lucas whispered in Lexi's ear, making her jump slightly since she hadn't even noticed him go behind her.

"Shut up." She hissed back.

"And now the world is worth conquering." Clara said. "So the Zygons are invading the future from the past."

"Exactly." The Eleventh Doctor nodded.

"And do you know why I know you're a fake?" The Tenth Doctor then stepped forward to Elizabeth. "Because you're such a bad copy. It's not just the smell, or the unconvincing hair, or the atrocious teeth, or the eyes just a bit too close together, or the breath that could stun a horse. It's because my Elizabeth, the real Elizabeth, would never be stupid enough to reveal her own plan. Honestly, why would you do that?"

The Eleventh Doctor sighed, closing his. "You are really digging yourself deep."

Elizabeth scowled slightly at the Tenth Doctor. "Because it's not my plan. And I am the real Elizabeth."

"Okay." The Tenth Doctor nodded slowly. "So... backtracking a moment, just to lend some context to my earlier remarks."

"My twin is dead in the forest." Elizabeth said. "I am accustomed to taking precautions." She held up her skirts, showing that she had a jeweled dagger strapped to her leg. "These Zygon creatures never even considered that it was me who survived rather than their own commander. The arrogance that typifies their kind."

"Zygons?" Jupiter asked.

"Men." Elizabeth smirked.

"Oi!" All the Doctors, and the rest of the men in the group, said at once.

Lexi laughed out loud. "You know, Your Majesty, that's the first time I haven't completely disliked you today."

"But... you actually killed one of them?" Lake asked, impressed.

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but at the time, so did the Zygon." Elizabeth nodded. "The future of my kingdom is imperiled. Doctor, can I rely on service?"

The Tenth Doctor nodded. "Well, I'm going to need my TARDIS."

"It has been procured already." Elizabeth smiled. "But first, my love, you have a promise to keep."

The Eleventh Doctor opened his mouth to object, but Lexi held her hand up to stop him.

"Don't worry." She told him quietly with an ever-growing smirk. "I have a plan."

 _Outside, Castle, Courtyard_...

As the TARDIS stood off to the side, a minister stood in front of a tent as he performed the wedding ceremony of Elizabeth and the Tenth Doctor, the Eleventh and War Doctors standing with Sky and Lucas on one side while Lexi stood with Jupiter, Clara and Lake on the other.

"I now pronounce you man and wife." The minister said. "You may kiss the bride."

Elizabeth smiled wide, grabbing the Tenth Doctor's face before planting a passionate kiss on his mouth.

"You're really okay with this." Clara whispered to Lexi.

"Of course not. I want to gouge out her eyes." Lexi whispered back with a false smile plastered on her face. "But I can't ruin history and do that to the Queen of England. So I've... improvised."

"What have you done, Mum?" Jupiter whispered from where she stood on the other side of Lexi.

Lexi just giggled, grinning evilly.

"Is there a lot of this in the future?" The War Doctor asked the Eleventh Doctor as they stood on the other side, watching Elizabeth kissing the Tenth Doctor.

"It... does start to happen, yeah." Was the answer the Eleventh Doctor decided to go with, shooting a look at his son and Lucas when he heard them snicker.

The Tenth Doctor then managed to pull away from the kiss.

"Godspeed, my love." Elizabeth told him.

"I will be right back." He said to her before running for his TARDIS, the rest of the group following after him.

 _Inside, TARDIS_...

The War Doctor looked around the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS as they all entered, the Tenth Doctor immediately going for the console. "You've let this place go a bit."

"Ah, it's his grunge phase." The Eleventh Doctor couldn't help himself. "He grows out of it."

"I haven't seen this console room since..." Lexi trailed off, looking around.

"we went outside the universe." Sky finished as he, too, looked around while he flashed back to the adventure with the human TARDIS (Idris) and the entity known as the House.

"Don't listen to them." The Tenth Doctor pat the console - only for an alarm to sound, making him jump away from the console. "Ow!" He winced, shaking his hand. "The desktop is glitching."

"Three of us from different time zones," The War Doctor looked around as the desktop morphed into a white desktop. "it's trying to compensate."

"Hey, look, the round things!" The Eleventh Doctor grinned.

"I love the round things." The Tenth Doctor smiled.

"...What are the round things?"

"No idea."

"You really do get entertained by the most simple things." Lake tilted her head as she gazed at the two men. "I mean, first the fez and now this."

Lexi laughed. "Oh, I like you, Doctor Sonata."

"Oh, please." She grinned. "I think formalities have flown out the window. Call me Lake."

"Okay." Lexi laughed.

"New friend, have you?" The Eleventh Doctor crossed his arms as he looked at the two women.

"I always make new friends just about anywhere we go." Lexi grinned just before an alarm went off again. "And I do believe that would the friction contrafibulator." She stated, the Tenth Doctor raising his eyebrows. "Smarter than I look, Doctor." She told the Tenth Doctor. "And it's all thanks to you, or will be thanks to you."

With that, she winked at him before going and helping her Doctor with the controls.

"Ha! There." The Eleventh Doctor smiled. "Stabilized."

The desktop then changed, Jupiter and Sky both sighing in relief when it morphed into the TARDIS desktop version they were most used to. "Oh, I've missed this sight."

"Oh, you've redecorated." The Tenth Doctor looked around before wrinkling his nose. "I don't like it."

"Don't pay him any mind, Idris." Lexi snickered, the TARDIS making a beeping noise at her. "Remember, it's your desktop."

"Who's Idris?" Lake asked.

"Oh, it's an adventure we'll have to tell you about sometime." Sky smiled at her.

Lake smiled back at him before looking back up at the room. "She's beautiful."

The TARDIS whirred at her.

"She's also alive." Jupiter commented, walking up on the other side of Lake. "And I think she likes you."

"Wish I could've gotten her to like me that easily." Clara chimed in, crossing her arms as she stood next to Lucas.

"Learning curve, Clara." Lucas chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Okay, so we're going to the National Gallery." The Eleventh Doctor rubbed his hands together. "The Zygons are underneath it."

"No. UNIT HQ." Lake shook her heard. "They followed us there in the Black Archive."

All three Doctors' heads shot up at that, including Lexi's as well, all of them turning to look at Lake.

"Lake, I think they've heard of that." Clara said, eyeing the expressions on the Doctors' and Lexi's faces.

"Obviously they have." Lake rolled her eyes before directing her attention to the individuals who were looking at her questioningly. "So, info time: the Zygons are in the Black Archive and Kate Stewart and two of my other colleagues are said creatures."

"Great." Lexi pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking.

 _Inside, Tower of London, Black Archive_...

"The equipment here is phenomenal." Zygon McGillop commented as he and the other Zygons were going through the collection. "The humans don't realize what half this stuff does. We could conquer their world in a day."

"We were fortunate, then... in our choice of duplicate." Another Zygon, one in its natural form, responded.

"If I were human. I'd say it's Christmas."

"No. I'm afraid you wouldn't." Kate suddenly spoke up as she, Osgood and McGillop entered the Black Archive, all of them having escaped the predicaments the Zygons had put them in. "We're not armed. You may relax."

"We are armed." The Zygon told her. "You may not."

"Lock the door. I'm afraid we can't be interrupted." Kate told McGillop before going and standing on one side of a table in the center of the room, Osgood standing behind her, and McGillop joining them soon after. "You don't mind if I get comfortable?" She asked before taking a seat in a chair.

"You don't mind if I do?" The Zygon asked before morphing into Kate and going and walking to the other side of the table, the table then acting as mirror, reflecting the humans on one side and the Zygon counterparts on the other.

"You'll realize there are protocols protecting this place." Kate stated. "Osgood?"

"In the event of alien incursion," Osgood began. "the contents of this room are deemed so dangerous, it will self-destruct in..."

"Five minutes." Kate finished, starting the countdown, making an alarm start up. "There's a nuclear warhead twenty feet beneath us. Are you sitting comfortably?"

Zygon Kate raised an eyebrow. "You would destroy London?"

"To save the world? Yes, I would."

"You're bluffing."

"You really think so?" Kate scoffed. "Somewhere in your memory is a man called Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. I'm his daughter."

"' _Science leads', Kate._ " The Eleventh Doctor's voice suddenly came over a device on the other side of the room. " _Is that what you meant? Is that what your father meant?_ "

"Doctor?" Kate asked.

" _Space-Time Telegraph, Kate._ " He said. "A gift from me to your father, hotline straight to the TARDIS."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"I know about the Black Archive, and I know about the security protocol." The Eleventh Doctor said, continuing to speak. "Kate, please. Please tell me you are not about to do something unbelievably stupid!"

" _I'm sorry, Doctor. Switch it off._ "

"Not as sorry as you will be." The Tenth Doctor said. "This is not a decision you will ever be able to live with!"

"And take it from them." Lexi added. "They have experience."

The TARDIS then groaned as it rocked and shuddered.

"Yeah." Lake winced. "I probably should've mentioned... the Black Archive is TARDIS proof."

"What?" Lucas looked over at her.

" _I said switch it off._ " Kate's voice said.

"No, Kate, please, just listen to me!" The Eleventh Doctor shouted, but the feed cut out.

"How can you TARDIS proof a place?" Jupiter demanded.

"Alien technology plus human stupidity." The Eleventh Doctor shook his head. "Trust me, it's unbeatable."

"Oi!" Lexi nudged him. "Don't forget I used to be one of those humans."

"What?" The Tenth Doctor asked.

"Shush." Lexi told him quickly before turning back to the Eleventh Doctor, not caring that the Tenth Doctor was now glaring at her slightly. "How the hell are we supposed to land the TARDIS in there if she can't get through?"

The War Doctor's eyes went to the console, absently listening to the discussion before he blinked, his gaze finding the Stasis Cube on the console. "We don't need to land." He said suddenly,

The Tenth Doctor glanced his way. "Yeah, we do, a tiny bit. Try and keep up."

"No, we don't." He shook his head. "We don't. There is another way." He held up the Stasis Cube. "Cup-a-soup."

"Ha!" Sky laughed. "That's brilliant!"

The War Doctor nodded before looking back down at the Stasis Cube in his hands. "What is Cup-a-Soup?"

Lexi slowly looked over to the Eleventh Doctor only to find him already staring at her before giving her a wink. Lexi grinned madly before then rushing to the TARDIS doors.

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, National Gallery, Main gallery_...

The Eleventh Doctor turned towards Kate. "What happened?"

"Easier to show you." Kate gestured away from from the painting, her, Osgood and Lake then leading the Doctor, Lexi, Clara and Lucas from the gallery.

McGillop made his way to follow them but stopped when his phone rang. "McGillop." He answered.

" _Take a look at your phone and confirm who you're talking to._ " Lexi's voice came over the line.

McGillop lowered his phone for a moment to look at the screen, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the caller ID before he quickly put the phone back up to his ear. "But that's not possible. I was just –"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

" _You were just talking to us, blah blah blah. I know. We're time travelers. It's not that hard to figure out._ " Lexi interrupted him as the Tenth Doctor watched her, slightly amused while the Eleventh Doctor grinned proudly. " _But never mind that. Listen, the Doctor and I need you to send the Gallifrey Falls painting to the Black Archive. Understood?_ "

" _Of course, ma'am. But... Why would I take it there?_ "

Lexi just smirked. "In due time."

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tower of London, Black Archive_...

"One word from you would cancel the countdown." Zygon Kate said as the countdown went to 2:58.

"Quite so." Kate nodded.

"It's keyed to your voice-print."

"And mine alone."

"Not anymore." Zygon Kate looked towards the device with the countdown. "Cancel the detonation!"

Kate stood. "Countermanded!"

"Cancel the detonation!" Zygon Kate stood up from her chair.

"Countermanded!"

Zygon Kate glared at Kate. "We only have to agree to live."

"Sadly, we can only agree to die." Kate snapped back.

"Please, Doctor. Please, Glorious..." Osgood muttered, closing her eyes. "Please save us..."

 _Outside, Street, Arcadia_...

The Eleventh Doctor finished using the Stasis Cube and, suddenly, the whole group found themselves standing in the midst of the destruction, explosions being heard nearby as well as screaming. Lots of screaming.

"The Battle of Arcadia..." Lexi whispered looking around with wide eyes.

"Wait... Are we actually in the painting?" Lucas asked, stepping up next to her.

"I wish I could say no." The Eleventh Doctor commented before going and standing next to his previous selves.

"Oh, my God. This is..." Sky muttered, looking all around.

"The planet where part of our ancestors come from." Jupiter finished his thought as she, too, gazed around at all the destruction.

"EXTERMINATE!"

"Get out of the way!" Lexi shouted as everyone whirled around, all the Doctors aiming their sonics at the two Daleks approaching while Lexi pushed Lake, Clara and Lucas out of the way before she and the twins whipped out their own sonics, ignoring the shocked looks of the Tenth and War Doctors.

"EXTERMINATE!" The Daleks chanted, bringing them back to the gravity of the situation.

The three Doctors, Lexi and the time twins all fired their sonics at the two Daleks, both of them screaming as they rolled backwards and through the glass of the painting as they exploded.

 _Inside, Tower of London, Black Archive_...

The three Doctors were the first ones through the painting and into the Black Archive; Lexi, Jupiter and Sky following right behind them.

"Hello." The Eleventh Doctor smirked at the two sets of Kate, Osgood and McGillop, all of them staring right at them in shock.

"They're the Doctor." Lexi said, pointing at the three Doctors.

"She's the Glorious." The Eleventh Doctor pointed at Lexi.

"And we're the Twins of Time." Jupiter grinned, gesturing at herself and Sky.

"Sorry about the Daleks." Sky examined the wreckage of the two Daleks they had just destroyed.

"Although, not that sorry since they did try to kill us." Lexi shook her head.

"Yeah, not the nicest thing, is it?" The Eleventh Doctor glanced at her before looking back at the two sets of Kate, Osgood and McGillop.

"Also, the showing off!" Clara said as she and Lucas came through the painting, Lake climbing through behind them.

"Now, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart," Lake began as she strode in between Clara and Lucas and passed Lexi, the time twins and the Doctors. "what in the universe do you think you're doing? You know, I knew I should've tried to get you to have that warhead dismantled as soon as I started working here."

"The countdown can only be halted at my personal command, in case you've forgotten." Kate told her. "There's nothing you can do."

"Except make you agree to halt it." The Tenth Doctor pointed out.

"Not even for three of you." Kate shook her head before looking past the Doctors, her eyes trained on Lexi. "And not even for your glorious wife."

The Tenth Doctor's eyes widened. "What?"

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, The Library_...

"Time can be rewritten!" The Tenth Doctor shouted at River as he was chained to a metal structure.

"Not those times." She immediately replied, shaking her head. "Because if you die here, that means you'll never meet the person who's going to change your life for the better."

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tower of London, Black Archive_...

The Tenth Doctor slowly turned his head to look at Lexi. "What?"

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Inside, The Library_...

"She's going to give you happiness again." River told the Tenth Doctor, her eyes brimming with tears. "Trust me, I've seen it... None of that can be rewritten."

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Tower of London, Black Archive_...

" _What?_ " The Tenth Doctor asked as he stepped towards Lexi, the War Doctor looking on in shock.

Lexi winced, quirking an eyebrow. "Penny dropped?"

"Penny dropped indeed." The Moment smirked, the War Doctor glancing at her to see her leaning against one of the shelves while looking right back at him. The Moment raised an eyebrow at the War Doctor. "Getting it now?"

"Thank you, Kate." The Eleventh Doctor said, Kate raising an eyebrow challengingly. "We're going to have to deal with the revelation that my predecessors seem to be processing at moment. However, bigger issue at hand: You're about to murder millions of people."

"To save billions." Kate responded. "How many times have you made that calculations?"

"Once." The Eleventh Doctor chuckled darkly. "Turned me into the man I am now. I'm not even sure who that is anymore."

"Clearly a better man than I." The Tenth Doctor remarked, not taking his eyes off Lexi. He pointed a finger at her. "We're not done."

"I don't expect to be." Lexi smiled at him before they directed their attention to the Eleventh Doctor and Kate. "But, you know, I think after all the time I've been with you, I've figured out exactly who you are." She said, walking up to the Eleventh Doctor, said man turning his head to look at her. "You're the man who tries to be a better person. You do that every single day. After all, that's all any of us can do. Right? You take the road less traveled by, so-to-speak. You arrive at the destination at the end of that road. And, you reap the rewards, or consequences, that come with that." She grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "It may not always work out how you hoped, but... you do your best. And that's one of the things I love most about you."

Clara wiped a tear from her eye, Jupiter doing the same as Sky and Lucas tried to hide the emotions that they themselves were feeling.

The War Doctor however? He looked on at Lexi, examining her closely. She wasn't the Moment. Definitely not. But she was glorious. The Glorious. And apparently, sometime in the future, she would be his Glorious... And then he remembered: Everything Ohila and Eulalia had said to him was true.

"Well, glorious Pond," The Eleventh Doctor choked out a laugh. "can't exactly argue with that now, can I?"

"I don't think you should." The Tenth Doctor commented, walking up on the other side of Lexi as they all looked at Kate. "But still, you tell yourself it's justified, but it's a lie. Because what I did that day was wrong. Just... wrong."

"And because I got it wrong," The Eleventh Doctor continued as the War Doctor looked over at the Moment again, her giving him a small smile before disappearing once more. "I'm going to make you get it right."

"How?" Kate asked with a frown as the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors walked forward, pulled out the chairs at the table, sat down, then put their legs up on the table in sync, crossing them one over the other.

"Because, any second now," Lexi began as she walked up behind where both Doctors were sitting, putting her hands on their shoulders. "you're going to stop that countdown. Both of you, together."

"Then you're going to negotiate the most perfect treaty of all time." The Eleventh Doctor nodded.

"Safeguards all around, completely fair on both sides." The Tenth Doctor nodded.

"And what's the key to perfect negotiation?" Lexi asked with a grin.

"Not knowing what side you're on." Both Doctors answered.

"So, for the next few hours," The Eleventh Doctor continued. "until we decide to let you out..."

"No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human." The Tenth Doctor said.

"Or Zygon." Lexi smirked before laughing. "Whoops!"

The Eleventh and Tenth Doctors jumped onto the table, raising their sonic screwdrivers as Lexi pulled hers out. The memory filter in the ceiling then abruptly sparked.

The two Kates in the room blinked, looking around in surprise, then looked at the countdown, which had reached seven seconds. "Cancel the detonation!" Both of them shouted, the countdown stopping at five seconds.

The Eleventh Doctor smiled triumphantly. "Peace in our time." He declared, Lexi grinning happily.

 _Later_...

"So, that was some speech you gave back there." Lake commented a bit later as she, Lexi, Clara and Lucas examined the board of all the past companions, the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors negotiating with the Kates, Sky and Jupiter stepping in for their mother and attempting to help where they could.

"It was all true." Lexi shrugged, gazing over the numerous photographs including Ian, Barbara, Susan, Mike Yates, Sara Kingdom, Ben and Polly. "I really do believe everything that I said." She stated before her eyes landed on a picture of herself, Amy and Rory. "Sometimes you... have to say what you want to say when you know it needs to be said."

Clara's gaze drifted from Lexi to the photograph that had captured said woman's attention. Clara's gaze then flickered back and forth from the photograph to Lexi and then back again before she found herself wrapping her arms around Lexi in a tight hug, making her eyes widen. "I'm so sorry."

"What... for?" Lexi asked, confused as she tried to figure out what to do with her arms at Clara's unexpected hug.

Clara pulled away from Lexi, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I'm just... sorry."

"Okay..." Lexi trailed off before kinda just... walking away.

Lucas smiled slightly as he, Clara and Lake turned back to the board. "It's still hard for her to talk about."

"I bet it would be for anyone who lost their loved one." Lake nodded in agreement, pointing at the photograph of Lexi, Amy and Rory. "Or in the Glorious's case, loved _ones_."

"Can't imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling. Let alone a twin." Clara said softly as she looked at the photograph. "And on top of that, to lose someone else close to you as well? I wouldn't wish that anyone."

 _With the War Doctor_...

The War Doctor was sitting in a large wingback chair, drinking tea as he watched everything around him when he heard approaching footsteps, which made him look over to see Lexi walking towards him.

"Hi." She smiled at him.

"Hello." He nodded.

"So, er... I'm the Glorious. But I haven't always been that." Lexi said quietly as she sat down on the footrest in front of him. "My name is Alexis Pond. And we haven't exactly met yet."

"I look forward to it." The War Doctor said truthfully. He had been thinking about Ohila's and Eulalia's words that had come flooding back to him. Words about about an individual called the Glorious. After everything he endured during the War, the words had subconsciously been pushed to the back of his mind. But now they definitely weren't. He remembered how Eulalia and Ohila said that the Glorious was going to mean something to him. He just never knew the true extent of it. Clearly, though, she was going to mean everything to him if he decided to marry her. He had had a nagging thought during the War that would occasionally make him wonder about the things he was doing, about if any of them would change anything at all. But the woman sitting before him was proof that he'd do something right. He just didn't know what it was because... he hadn't done it yet. And the Moment, after everything she had said, after everything that had transpired, it had made him develop a sneaky suspicion of who the Moment had taken the appearance of. It wasn't the woman sitting in front of him. Even though they looked exactly alike, they were totally different. And the word 'twin' had not gone unnoticed by him when the Moment had spoken it. The puzzle pieces now clicked into place... He knew who she was. I mean, the surname 'Pond' had been a dead giveaway when Lexi had just spoken it. The War Doctor frowned, though, when he saw Lexi had something to say. "Is there a problem?"

Lexi sighed. "The Doctor... well, _my_ Doctor." She always liked saying that. Because it was very true. He was her Doctor. Well, any Doctor was her Doctor. Just like she would always be his Glorious. "He's always talking about the day he did it, the day he wiped out the Time Lords and the Daleks to stop the war."

"One would." The War Doctor agreed.

"But you don't." Lexi pointed out. "It's like when when we were all in the cell. You were surprised at the way the other Doctors were looking at you. And that can only mean one thing... You haven't done it yet. It's still in your future."

"You're very sure of yourself."

"He regrets it. I see it in his eyes every single day. And, on the nights he tries to sleep, he always struggles to do so. If there's one thing I know he would want to change in his life, this would be it."

"Including saving all these people." The War Doctor told her. "How many worlds has his regret saved, do you think?" He pointed to where the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors were talking, Lake having joined them to take over for Sky and Jupiter, said time twins joining Clara and Lucas over at the board with all the photographs. "Look over there. Humans and Zygons, working together in peace." He finally looked back to Lexi again. "How did you know?"

"I walked through his mind." She said simply. "It was right after we were married, and he showed me everything through a mental link. And when I say he showed me everything, I really do mean _everything_. I saw all of his memories. All the way from the very beginning. But the memory of you and the war... that one he was hesitant on showing me. I mean, he did show me, but... I didn't see it for very long. He didn't want me to... I can understand that, though. But after I came out of his mind, I could see in his eyes that he held regret. Regret for that one memory of that one part of his life he wished he never had to live. But that regret... it isn't in your eyes now." She took in a shaky breath. "When someone does something they regret, they usually try to hide it. Move past it. But... their eyes always tell the story. The eyes never lie even when their owner does. Regret ages you. It reflects in you... And it's not in your eyes. You look so much younger because of that."

The War Doctor closed his eyes. "Then all things considered, it's time I grew up." He lifted his head. "I've seen all I needed. The Moment has come." He turned to see the Moment from where she was watching nearby, a sad look in her eyes. "I'm ready."

"I know you are." She answered.

"Who's there?" Lexi frowned, turning to look. "Who're you talking to...?" When she turned back, however...

...the War Doctor had vanished.


	66. The Day of the Doctor: Part 6 - FINAL

_Inside, Barn, Day_...

The Moment shrugged as she and the War Doctor stood on opposite sides of the box.

"You wanted a big red button." She said, the War Doctor shaking his head and wondering if she found it to be funny in fulfilling his request of which he didn't think would actually be taken seriously. "One big bang, no more Time Lords, no more Daleks... Are you sure?"

"I was sure when I came in here." The War Doctor nodded. "There is no other way."

"You've seen the men you will become."

"Those men... Extraordinary." He closed his eyes. "And what the oldest one had, _who_ he had..." He swallowed. "I can understand why she has the title she does."

"They were you." The Moment told him.

"No. They are the Doctor."

"You're the Doctor, too."

"No. Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame... whatever the cost."

The Moment watched him pause just before he put his hand on the button. "You know the sound the TARDIS makes?" She finally asked. "That wheezing, groaning. That sound brings hope wherever it goes."

"Yes." The War Doctor admitted. "Yes, I like to think it does."

"To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone, however lost." She smiled widely as the sound of two time rotors echoed through the barn. "Even you."

Two different police public call boxes materialized inside the barn. Eleven and Lexi exited the one on the right with Sky, Jupiter, Lucas and Clara while Ten came from the other one on the left.

"I told you." Lexi looked at the War Doctor. "He hasn't done it yet."

He closed his eyes. "Go away now, all of you." He begged. "This is for me."

"These events should be Time Locked." The Tenth Doctor frowned. "We shouldn't even be here."

"Something let us through." The Eleventh Doctor deduced.

The Moment chuckled. "You clever boys."

"Go back." The War Doctor insisted. "Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctors that I could never be. And Chinny... go be with the woman you love." He chuckled sadly. "Make it all worthwhile."

"Lex was right." The Eleventh Doctor told him. "This is what I regret most. It is the one thing I wish I could change."

"All those years, burying you in my memory." The Tenth Doctor nodded.

"Pretending you didn't exist." The Eleventh Doctor walked forward, looking down at the box with an unreadable expression. "Keeping you a secret, even from myself."

"Pretending you weren't the Doctor when you were the Doctor more than anybody else." The Tenth Doctor admitted.

"You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right."

"But this time..." The Tenth Doctor put his hand on the button on top of the War Doctor's.

"You don't have to do it alone." The Eleventh Doctor finished, putting his hand on top of the Tenth Doctor's.

The War Doctor looked on in shock, then whispered. "Thank you."

"You're really going to do this, aren't you?" Lexi whispered.

The Eleventh Doctor closed his eyes. "Yes."

"Alright, then." Lexi took a deep breath before walking up to where the three Doctor stood around the box with their hands on the button, Sky and Jupiter sharing a worried look as Clara and Lucas watched curiously. "I don't have many regrets, not like you." She said as she walked around the box to stand between the Eleventh and War Doctors. "I don't really understand the sort of... mentality that's needed for doing something this. Although, I do think that I'm beginning to understand it. So, if you really are doing this..." Lucas's eyes widened, Clara's jaw dropped, and Jupiter put a hand over her mouth as she absentmindedly grabbed Lucas's hand while Sky just looked on at his mother in awe as she placed her hand over the Eleventh Doctor's. "Then you sure as hell aren't doing it alone."

"Why would you do this?" The Tenth Doctor asked softly from where he stood across from here.

"Haven't you figured that out?" She smiled at him before nodding at the Eleventh Doctor. "A while back, I made a promise to him. I promised that I was never going to leave him. I promised him that I would go with him and stand by his side through whatever universe threw at us. And since you are and will be him, that promise extends to you." She glanced at the War Doctor. "To _both_ of you." She smiled, tears in her eyes as she looked at the shellshocked Doctors. "So, again, if you're going to do this... I'm doing it with you."

The Eleventh Doctor closed his eyes. "Damn you, Lex..." His voice cracked.

The Tenth Doctor took a deep breath. "What we do today is not out of fear or hatred." He said. "It's done because there is no other way."

"And it's done in the name of the many lives we are failing to save." The Eleventh Doctor nodded slightly.

Lexi took a deep breath. "Like Demons Run."

"Or the Angels in Manhattan." The Eleventh responded.

"No." The Tenth Doctor shook his head, looking directly at Lexi. "You don't have to do this."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" She raised an eyebrow. "I will always be here. And you saying that I don't have to do this, too... well, that only goes on to reveal that you don't either. None of you do." She looked around at the three Doctors before nodding towards the two TARDISes. "Besides, I don't believe any of them want to see us do this." All the Doctors looked over to see tears in Jupiter's and Clara's eyes, Sky with his arm around Clara, and Lucas hugging Jupiter. "And that's why your TARDIS isn't here, right?" Lexi looked at the War Doctor. "You didn't want her to see you do this." She then looked around again at the three Doctors. "I know in both my hearts that not one of you wants to do this."

"So why should you?" The Eleventh Doctor asked her quietly.

"Haven't you heard anything I've said, you daft old man?" Lexi gave him a tearful smile. "I love you too much for you to do this a second time on your own."

"Lex, please..." The Eleventh Doctor pleaded, his voice cracking. "I don't want... I _can't_ see you do this, too."

"Why?" She challenged. "You've done it once before. And now you're doing it again."

"It has to be done."

"Then I'm doing it with you."

"Do you see now?" The Moment asked the War Doctor quietly as Sky ducked his head while tears ran down Clara's face. Jupiter bit her thumbnail nervously while Lucas's arm around her tightened. "After the War, it will take some time, but... you will meet this glorious woman. You will turn her world upside down, and she will light up the darkness that shrouds yours. It's as she said: she will never, _ever_ leave you... Do you need something else to convince you?"

The barn then went dark suddenly, making everyone flinch.

"What's happening?" Clara asked.

"Nothing." The War Doctor looked around as a battlefield suddenly formed around them, showing them what was happening in Arcadia as if they were right in the middle of it. "It's a projection."

"No." Lexi swallowed, remembering this memory. "No, I've seen this." She looked to the Eleventh Doctor. "You showed this to me." She then turned towards the War Doctor. "This is happening now."

"This... this is actually what's currently happening?" Lucas asked as he looked around in horror at the Time Lord families fleeing from the Daleks.

"You're going to burn these people?" Clara asked.

"There isn't anything we can do." The Tenth Doctor shook his head.

"He's right." The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people, or let the universe burn."

Lexi just shook here head. They definitely weren't getting anywhere with this.

However... It was Jupiter who spoke up next. "You know, all those stories you told me and Sky, you never actually told us why you chose it." She said, walking up to the Eleventh Doctor. "Why did you choose your name?"

"The Doctor?" He blinked.

"Tell us why you chose your name." Sky stated, walking up to stand next to his sister.

"The name you choose... it's a promise you make."

"You told me that once." Lexi said as she walked up on the other side of Jupiter, glancing at the Tenth and War Doctors. "But you never actually said what that promise was. So tell us the promise you made when you chose your name."

The Tenth Doctor swallowed. "Never cruel or cowardly."

"Never give up. Never give in." The War Doctor lowered his head.

"So why are you giving in now?" Sky asked. "Why are you giving in when you made a promise not to?"

"Why are you giving up when you made a promise not to?" Jupiter raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, we all give in or give up sometimes when things become too much." Lexi chimed in. "We run away and hide because we're to afraid to face the horrors that lie before us... But we have to push past all of that. Because if we don't, then everyone else around us suffers. They suffer because we were too cruel and cowardly to help them." She took a deep breath. "So _don't_ give in, and _don't_ give up." She emphasized. "We've got enough warriors and we've got enough heroes."

"Then what do I do?" The Eleventh Doctor begged her.

"What you've always done, my love." Lexi smiled at him, cupping the side of his face and stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Be a Doctor."

The Tenth Doctor sighed as the vision faded. "You're not actually suggesting that we change our own personal history?"

"We change history all the time." The Eleventh Doctor nodded as Lexi stepped away from him. "It's a suggestion of something far worse."

"What, exactly?" The War Doctor asked.

"Gentlemen," The Eleventh Doctor began as he took out his sonic. "I have had four hundred years to think about this... I've changed my mind."

He then sonicked the box, making the button sink back inside.

"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there, attacking." The War Doctor reminded them.

"Yeah, there is." The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "There is."

"But there's something those billion billion Daleks don't know." The Tenth Doctor grinned.

"If they did, they'd definitely send for reinforcements." Jupiter giggled.

"I'd put my money on them running away." Sky chuckled.

"Okay, the humans in the room are confused." Lucas raised his hand, Clara nodding in wholehearted agreement. "What don't they know?"

"There's not just one Doctor now." Lexi smirked. "There's three of them."

"Oh, but there is one glorious you!" The Eleventh Doctor grinned before picking Lexi up and spinning her around, making her laugh with glee.

The War Doctor's eyes lit up. "Oh!" He gasped, then laughed. "Oh, yes, that is good! That is brilliant!"

"Oh, oh, oh, I'm getting that, too!" The Tenth Doctor whooped. "That is brilliant!"

"Ha ha ha!" The Eleventh Doctor laughed. "I've been thinking about it for centuries!"

"She didn't just show me any old future, she showed me exactly the future I needed to see!" The War Doctor laughed.

"Now you're getting it." The Moment grinned from where she sat on one of hay bales behind Tenth and Eleventh Doctors and Lexi.

"Eh?" The Eleventh Doctor blinked. "Who did?"

"Oh, Amelia Williams, I could kiss you!" The War Doctor laughed again, Lexi's face draining of color.

"Yeah, that's not really the best idea." The Moment snickered.

"Did you just say Amelia Williams?" Lexi asked softly.

"Good luck." The Moment grinned, winking at the War Doctor before her interface then shimmered out of existence.

"So what are we doing?" Clara asked, gaining their attention. "What's the plan?"

"The Daleks fleets are surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly." The War Doctor answered, glancing at her.

"The Sky Trench is holding, but what if the whole planet... just disappeared?" The Tenth Doctor asked.

"What are you going on about?" Lucas questioned.

"The Daleks... would be firing on each other." Jupiter laughed, the pieces clicking into place.

"So... they would destroy themselves in their own crossfire!" Sky grinned.

"Gallifrey would be gone, the Daleks would be destroyed, and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they'd annihilated each other." The War Doctor nodded.

"So where would Gallifrey be?" Clara asked.

"The opposite of burnt... Frozen." Lucas whispered before his eyes widened. "No. Way."

"Yes way in a very big way." The Tenth Doctor grinned and nodded. "Frozen in an instant of time, safe and hidden away."

"Exactly like a painting." Lexi grinned, shaking her head as a giggle escaped her. "Oh... Let's go save Gallifrey."

 _Inside, Map room, Arcadia_...

"Another one." Androgar reported suddenly as he and other Time Lords and Time Ladies continued to monitor the action around the planet.

The General frowned, going over to him. "Are you sure the message is from him?"

"Oh, yes."

"Why would he do that?" The General frowned more, seeing the new message from the Doctor that read **_GALLIFREY STANDS_**. "What's the mad fool talking about now?"

"Hello, hello, Gallifrey High Command!" A voice filled the room, a holo monitor appearing, showing the Eleventh Doctor, Lexi, Clara and Lucas. "This is the Doctor speaking, along with the Glorious, the Impossible Man and the Impossible Girl."

"Nice to meet you." Lexi grinned as Lucas and Clara raised their hands in greeting.

"Who the hell is the Glorious?" The General demanded.

"Oh, haven't you heard? I'm the madwoman who married the mad fool, as you called him." Lexi smirked, winking.

"Hello!" The Tenth Doctor greeted as another holo monitor popped up. "Also the Doctor, with a lovely young woman by the name of Jupiter."

"Or, if you prefer: Thing Two at your service." Jupiter grinned, having elected to accompany Ten. "Can you hear us?"

"Also the Doctor, standing ready with Thing One." The War Doctor said as they appeared, Sky having volunteered to go with him. The mother and father who Sky and his sister had grown up having each had their companions with them, so might as well give their father's previous selves someone as well.

"Dear God, three of them." The General's jaw dropped. "All my worst nightmares at once."

"Eh." Lexi shrugged, shooting a wink at her Doctor.

"Don't you even." The Eleventh Doctor smirked at her.

"Do they have to flirt at the worst possible times?" Clara sighed.

"They're Gloronimo." Lucas pointed out, smiling. "Of course they do."

"General, we have a plan." The Tenth Doctor cut in.

"We should point out, at this moment, it is a fairly terrible plan." The Eleventh Doctor admitted.

"And almost certainly won't work."

"I was quite happy with fairly terrible." Sky sighed.

"Ignore him." Jupiter rolled her eyes. "He tends to think out loud. It runs in the family."

"Anyway," Lexi began, bringing them back to the issue at hand. "right now, we're flying our three TARDISes into your lower atmosphere."

"We're positioned at equidistant intervals around the globe." The Tenth Doctor nodded before grinning. "Ah, equidistant... So grown up."

"So you have always had trouble concentrating." Jupiter glanced at the Tenth Doctor, grinning. "I knew it."

"Oi!" He shot a look at her, Jupiter letting out a laugh.

"We're just about ready to do it." Sky said.

"Ready to do what?" The General asked.

"We're going to freeze Gallifrey." Lexi cheered.

"I'm sorry, what?" The General blinked, not sure he'd heard right.

However, the Tenth Doctor nodded. "Using our TARDISes, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment in time."

"You know, like those Stasis Cubes?" The War Doctor elaborated. "A single moment in time, held in a parallel pocket universe."

"Except we're going to do it to a whole planet." The Eleventh Doctor grinned.

"And all the people on it." Lexi added, smiling widely. "Quite an ingenious plan, if we do say so ourselves."

"What?" The General asked. "Even if that were possible, which it isn't, why would you do such a thing?"

The War Doctor shook his head. "Because the alternative is burning."

"And I've seen that." The Tenth Doctor nodded.

"And I never want see it again." The Eleventh Doctor said adamantly.

"And since we have the means this time... well, we're going to do something about it." Lexi smirked. "I mean, it's not like you have much of a choice anyway. You are struggling to hold on as it is."

"We'd be lost in another universe, frozen in a single moment." The General swallowed. "We'd have nothing."

"You would have hope." The Eleventh Doctor pointed out. "And right now, that is exactly what you don't have."

"It's delusional." The General stated, shaking his head. "The calculations alone would take hundreds of years."

"Oh, hundreds and hundreds." The Eleventh Doctor confirmed.

"Don't worry, though." Lexi smirked triumphantly, turning one of the monitors on the console around so Lucas and Clara could see what was happening. "He started a very long time ago."

"Calling the War Council of Gallifrey!" The First Doctor's voice rang out, Lexi's eyes brightening as the Doctor's first incarnation appeared on their screen. "This is the Doctor!"

"You might say I've been doing this all my lives." The Eleventh Doctor cheered, grinning.

The General could only watch in pure shock as more monitors popped up, each showing every single one of the Doctors.

"Good luck!" The Second Doctor called.

"Standing by." The Third Doctor reported.

"Ready!" The Eighth Doctor pitched in.

"Commencing calculations." The Fourth Doctor said.

"Soon be there!" The Fifth Doctor said.

"Across the boundaries that divide one universe from another." The Seventh Doctor said.

"Just got to lock onto his coordinates." The Sixth Doctor said.

"And for my next trick...!" The Ninth Doctor winked.

"I didn't know when I was well off." The General let out a breath. "All twelve of them!"

"No, sir!" Androgar shook his head, watching as one more monitor appeared. "All thirteen!"

The General squinted his eyes. "Who's that with him?"

The War Council watched, Lexi and all the other Doctors too busy too notice a future Glorious and a future Doctor. Blonde hair from her and grey hair from him were the only things the War Council could see of them.

"Whoa!" Androgar tried to balance himself when the entire planet shook, stopping him from answering the General's question with what he thought might be the answer. "Sir, the Daleks know something is happening! They're increasing their firepower!"

"General." The General looked up and met Lexi's brown eyes on the monitor. "Please... just trust us."

The General took a deep breath. "Do it, Doctor." He said. "Just do it."

"Okay." The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're ready." He looked around, seeing Lexi and their companions all ready around the console, then flipped one of the levers. "Geronimo!"

Lexi, Clara and Lucas burst into action, all of them running around the console, Lexi pointing things out for Clara and Lucas to do as she herself began typing and running the calculations to help the other Doctors with freezing the the planet.

"Allons-y!" The Tenth Doctor exclaimed, throwing a lever of his own as Jupiter went to working the monitors.

"Love from Leadworth, baby!" Lexi called out.

"Oh, for God's sake!" The War Doctor huffed.

"Come on." Sky urged with an ever-growing grin, pushing a few buttons.

The War Doctor sighed before finally declaring. "Gallifrey stands!"

"Ha!" Sky laughed as the War Doctor threw the lever.

 _Outside, Space_...

All thirteen TARDISes flew to Gallifrey, white light filling the area of space before the planet was abruptly gone... leaving the Daleks firing at the planet to fire at each other, therefore, destroying them all.

 **~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~**

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main_...

Lexi sighed as she leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. After a moment, she opened them and let her gaze drift over to the other side of the room, watching as Jupiter worked with Clara on making tea, laughing and smiling with Sky and Lucas.

Lexi smiled at the sight, completely drained from what they all had just done. Yet, she was also happy since her children seemed to be making the best of things while Lucas and Clara took everything that was thrust upon them and handled it amazingly. They always do, though. They always do brilliantly at anything any of them come across.

After all, Sky and Jupiter were definitely who Lexi and her Doctor cared most about. However, they wouldn't have them had it not been for their Impossibles.

Clara and Lucas risked their own lives. They spread echoes of themselves throughout time and space to save the Doctor and Lexi at different points in their life. Had they not done that... well, none of them would be where they were right now.

"Penny for your thoughts, my dear?" The War Doctor's voice asked, making Lexi turn her head to see him standing a few feet away. "You seem to have gotten lost in your head."

"Yeah, that does tend to happen." Lexi chuckled softly, glancing past him to see the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors as they exited their TARDISes that were parked alongside each other next to the War Doctor's along the wall on the other side of the room. "You'll realize that about me one day."

"I'm sure I will." The War Doctor nodded. "So what is it that's taken over your thoughts?"

"Just..." Lexi trailed off, leaning her head back against the wall she was leaning against. "It's everything... Everything that we've done. Everything that we tried to do... It's so much."

"Overwhelmed?" The Tenth Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked up next to the War Doctor while the Eleventh Doctor walked over to where the time twins and companions were.

Lexi snorted. "You could say that."

"You know, there are still a few things that I don't completely understand." The Tenth Doctor crossed his arms, thinking. "Mind a few questions?"

She smirked. "Fire away, _Sandshoes_."

"Okay, one, which I just came up with: Do you always make snide comments like that?" The Tenth Doctor raised an eyebrow, smirking back at her.

Lexi let out a laugh. "Oh, you will most certainly come to find that that is one of the things that will never change about me."

The Tenth Doctor nodded, smiling slightly. "I think I can work with that." He said before tilting his head, picking out his next question. "Alright, the next thing I was wondering about... Back in the cell, you said something to my successor." He nodded towards where the Eleventh Doctor was arguing with Clara about what the proper amount of sugar cubes should be for a cuppa tea. "You asked him if there was any time during the last nearly twenty-seven years in which he had ever felt alone... Is that how long you've been with me?"

"That is something I was curious about myself." The War Doctor said in agreement. "For anyone to be with me for that long of a time... It's quite a feat."

Lexi giggled softly, ducking her head a moment before looking back up. "Well, no. I haven't been with you for nearly twenty-seven years. I've actually known of you for around, er... forty-four years, I think."

"Really?" The War Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling a bit. "I've been traveling with you for about thirty years."

The Tenth Doctor's eyes widened slightly. "Seriously? Then why in the cell did you mention the number twenty-seven?"

"Well..." Lexi drawled out, a irrepressible grin spreading across her face. "Twenty-seven years is nearly the amount of time I've been married to you." She said, glancing at the Eleventh Doctor as he conversed with their children and Lucas and Clara. "Well, married to him anyway. But he is you and you are him. You get the idea."

"I wouldn't choose to marry someone if they wouldn't be able to stay with me." The Tenth Doctor pointed out.

"I know you wouldn't." Lexi smiled at him. "And for the longest time, I wondered how your successor was going to fix that dilemma... But then there came a day. A day unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was a day that took place in a reality that never happened. And yet, it did. It was a day that I consider to be the day that changed my life... It changed me. Forever... It was probably the most epic wedding... well, ever."

"And what a glorious day that was." The Eleventh Doctor spoke up, now having put his silver wedding band back on. He walked up next to his past selves, said men glancing at him before looking back to Lexi. "Literally. It was your day, Lex."

"Well, it was technically our day." She pointed out, smirking. "Although, we do have to give credit where it's due. I mean, we couldn't have done it all on our own. We did have a bit of help."

"From who?" The War Doctor questioned.

"Sky and Jupiter." The Eleventh Doctor answered truthfully. I mean, there was really no need to hide anything anymore. The big issue was dealt with. Might as well come clean. "And one other person."

"Wait, they were there?" The Tenth Doctor pointed at Sky and Jupiter where they were conversing still with Lucas and Clara.

"Oh, they were there." Lexi nodded as the Eleventh Doctor grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Both of them... and River Song. I believe you met her once, did you not?"

"You know River Song, too?" Ten gawked at her.

"Oh, I definitely do." Lexi laughed, nodding. "I won't tell you how, though. You'll live through it yourself one day. But, let's just say that without her or Sky and Jupiter... I wouldn't have been given the greatest gift I've ever received: Life. A life with you. The ability to have a life with you, anyway. River and the Twins of Time are the reason I have my second heart. They are the reason my life has been extended far beyond what it would originally be if I were still human. And they are the reason that I now don't have any clue about how long I'll be able to live. And to be honest... I don't think I care. I just... I don't take any of the days I get now for granted."

"Because you don't know how many there will be." The War Doctor deduced. They'd get to Sky and Jupiter in a moment, but whoever this River Song was... well, he wish could thank her as well.

"Nope." Lexi shook her head in confirmation. "It's kind of exciting, though. You know, living everyday to its fullest... It's always a new adventure. And I think what we all did today will definitely be at the top of the list."

"But who exactly are they? Sky and Jupiter, I mean." The Tenth Doctor asked. "They both have sonic screwdrivers. And not just anyone would help give a person a second heart."

"I think you'll come to find that they're not just anyone." The Eleventh Doctor replied, him and Lexi sharing a knowing look. Eleven raised an eyebrow questioningly at his wife, said woman giving him a nod of approval before he looked back to his past selves. "Come on, you both have been around them long enough to notice certain traits that they have."

Lexi smirked at them. "Solve a puzzle."

The Tenth and War Doctors tilted their heads in thought.

Jupiter's sass.

But wait... Lexi had a fair amount of sass herself. Not to mention they each had the same vibrant red hair while Sky and Lexi each had a bit of that Scottish bur.

Sky's had a somewhat bubbly attitude.

And again... It seemed the incarnation of the most current Doctor could be a bit bubbly himself. Not to mention that he and Jupiter each had the same emerald green eyes.

"Similarities." Both the War and Tenth Doctors whispered, making them glance at each other.

"Physical." The Tenth Doctor stated, raising an eyebrow at his War self.

"And otherwise." The War Doctor nodded at Ten before the both of them looked back to Lexi and the Eleventh Doctor. "How long have you two been married, again?"

"Almost twenty-seven years." Lexi told him.

"And how old are you, Sky and Jupiter?" The Tenth Doctor asked.

Lexi smiled slightly. "Well, I'm fifty-one."

"And we're twenty-six." The Twins of Time said in unison, making the Tenth and War Doctors turn around to see them standing there.

Jupiter raised an eyebrow at the War and Tenth Doctors as Eleven and Lexi watched with ever-growing grins. "Tell me, has the penny dropped yet, _Dad_?"

Sky chuckled as looks of realization dawned on their faces. "Sister mine, I think you just dropped it for them."

Jupiter laughed. "Couldn't help myself. It was just too good to pass up."

"You're not...?" The Tenth Doctor pointed at them before turning with his finger to point at Lexi and Eleven.

"Oh, but they are." Lexi giggled, smiling wide.

"And they have been for quite some time." The Eleventh Doctor nodded in agreement.

"Truly extraordinary." The War Doctor muttered as he processed everything. "The darkness will be lifted... and I will find my way to the light again."

"You most definitely will." Jupiter smiled at him. "We've seen it."

"We've hopped back and forth through time quite a lot. We saw and experienced some amazing things." Sky nodded, agreeing. "And even though not all the things we saw were good, out of all the families in the universe... well, Jupiter and I count ourselves lucky we were born to some pretty amazing parents."

"Aww." Lexi smiled at her son. "Now, Skyler, you know when you say things like that it makes your mother want to hug you."

"Please don't." Sky sighed.

"Too bad." Lexi grinned before launching herself at Sky and wrapping him a hug, said man sighing but smiling nonetheless as he returned his mother's hug, Jupiter laughing at her brother while all the Doctors looked on fondly.

"My, it seems it's all smiles and hugs in here." An American accent said from the entryway of the room, making everyone, Clara and Lucas included, turn to see Doctor Lake Sonata standing there.

"Lake." Lexi smiled as the blonde walked further into the room. "What are you doing here? I figured you'd probably be at the Tower."

"Oh, I was." She responded as she came to a stop by where Lexi, the time twins and the Doctors were standing, Clara and Lucas coming over to join them. "I just came to the National Gallery again to be sure that everything was back in order. After all, it has been a crazy day."

"Understatement." Lucas chuckled.

"Yeah." Lake laughed lightly in agreement, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her royal blue trench-coat. "And how are all of you?"

"Doing better." The Eleventh Doctor answered, putting an arm around Lexi's shoulders as they all conversed.

"Lake, just out of curiosity, how long have you been working for UNIT? I mean, no offense, but an American in UNIT isn't exactly common." Jupiter asked.

"Six months." She replied. "And, a bit of a confession here: I'm not exactly American."

"You sound like it." Clara tilted her head.

"Well, it just happens to sound American." Lake shrugged.

The Tenth Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "Where are you from?"

"Rezaelya, Leizaria. Our language is quite similar to Human English. So that's why it hasn't been hard for me to adjust to life here."

"Wait, where?" Lucas asked. "I have definitely never heard of that place before."

"Yeah, you wouldn't have." Lake chuckled. "It's not exactly on Earth."

"What?" Sky raised his eyebrows.

She gave them a small smile. "It's a little planet, some of you might've heard of it, called... Zaravelia. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention... I'm sorta not human."

"You're Zaravelian?" Lexi asked, her eyes brightening at the mention of the planet. "Oh, I have got to say, I love your people. Big fan, honestly. Absolutely brilliant. I actually went to your home-world on my honeymoon."

"Yeah, it's kinda known for its beauty." Lake shrugged. "Not a lot people think about it, though. That's why it's not overly touristy."

"But how did you end up working for UNIT?" The War Doctor asked. "An organization that's thousands and thousands of light years away from where you're from."

"Well, I was born in the fifty-first century." She responded. "My people had long since engineered a way for time travel by then. So, I figured... what could I do? Where could I go? And who could I become?"

"So who did you choose to be?" Clara asked her.

"Well, I chose to become a doctor. Not this kind of Doctor, obviously." She said, smiling as she gestured at the Tenth, Eleventh and War Doctors. "I became a doctor of Microbiology and Universal Political Science. That's why I was able to step in and help a little with the Humans and Zygons earlier. I actually went to Luna University."

"I knew someone who went there." Lexi remarked.

"River Song?" Lake raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. You know, she did tell me to say hi if I ever ran into you."

The Tenth Doctor huffed. "Does everyone know River Song?"

"She does get around a bit." Sky shrugged, Jupiter laughing in agreement.

"I suppose she does." Lake smiled, lowering the sleeve of her trench-coat to show everyone the VM she was wearing. "She actually gave me this. When we graduated, she told me of UNIT and said that it might be a good place for me. So far it's been pretty good. Well, you know, except for part of today."

"Does Kate know about this?" The Eleventh Doctor questioned her.

"Yeah, she does." Lake nodded. "I wasn't going to lie to her. UNIT, as you said, investigates anything alien. And technically, I am considered one here... I provide insight where the humans can't."

"Sound familiar?" Lexi raised an eyebrow at the Doctors.

"I've actually grown quite fond of Earth." Lake stated. "It's basically become my adopted home. I've been thinking and, in fact..." She reached and took the VM off her wrist. "I don't want to leave. I mean, I've made friends here. So, I don't need this anymore."

"You don't want it?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"I don't _need_ it." She corrected.

"You did say yours was destroyed, Sky." Lexi looked over at son. "You could take it."

"Jupe wouldn't have one." He frowned slightly.

"Oh! Actually..." Lake trailed off as she reached inside her jacket and pulled out another VM. "This was the Vortex Manipulator that was in the Black Archive. It had belonged to a man named... Jack Harkness, I think?" She said, the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors smiling slightly at the mention of the Captain. "It didn't have enough power for a two way trip. But after we were done with the Humans and Zygons negotiation, I had some time to tinker around with it and... I fixed it."

"You fixed a Vortex Manipulator?" The Tenth Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I do have two PhDs." Lake gave him a look.

The Tenth Doctor laughed, holding his hands up. "Okay, stupid question."

"Anyway," Lake said, holding the two VMs out to Sky and Jupiter. "you want them?"

The time twins glanced at their parents questioningly.

"You're both adults." The Eleventh Doctor told them. "You can make your own decisions."

Sky and Jupiter grinned before then turning to Lake, Sky taking the VM that Lake had taken off her wrist and Jupiter taking the VM that had once belonged to Captain Jack Harkness, the two time twins then putting their new VMs on their wrists and examining them.

"Well, then," Lake smiled as she looked around at the people that stood before her. "I suppose I'll leave you all to it."

"Till the next time." Lexi nodded at her.

Lake smiled as she nodded back, giving everyone a small wave before turning and making her way out of the room.

"Now," Clara broke the silence after Lake left. "with the revelations revealed, and the VMs gifted to their new owners, I think we all deserve a good cuppa tea."

"Agreed." Jupiter laughed, grabbing Lucas's hand and dragging him over to where she and Clara had the tea tray set up, everyone else following after them.

 _Soon after_...

The eight of them now sat together in front of Gallifrey Falls, looking at the painting as they drank the tea Clara and Jupiter had prepared.

"I don't suppose we'll ever know if we actually succeeded." The War Doctor remarked. "But at worst, we failed doing the right thing, as opposed to succeeding in doing the wrong."

Jupiter snickered at that. "Pessimistic much?"

"But what's it actually called?" The Tenth Doctor asked.

"Well, there's some debate." The Eleventh Doctor answered. "Either No More, or Gallifrey Falls."

The War Doctor sighed as Lexi frowned. "Not very encouraging."

"How did it get here?" Lucas asked.

"No idea." The Eleventh Doctor nodded.

The sound of a shattering tea cup made everyone turn to see that Lexi's tea cup was now in various pieces on the ground while Lexi herself was staring at the painting in utter shock.

"Could it be possible?" She breathed as she stepped towards it.

"What is it?" The Tenth Doctor frowned, looking at the painting. "What's the matter?"

Lexi let out a quiet laugh. "What if it's not a debate at all?" She asked. "What if we've all been too thick to realize that maybe it's just one title?"

"That's wouldn't make any sense." Clara frowned. "No More Gallifrey Falls... Who would name a painting that?"

"No..." Jupiter's jaw dropped. "No, no, no, no. Switch them around and what title do you get?!"

Sky's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding... Gallifrey Falls No More."

All three Doctors' jaws fell open. "No." They breathed.

"We actually did it!" Lexi laughed in utter relief, wrapping her arms around the Eleventh Doctor, hugging him. "We saved Gallifrey!"

Eleven laughed, reciprocating her hug. "Now that is definitely at the top of the list of the best conclusions to an adventure we've had."

Jupiter squealed happily, hugging her Sky, said man not even making any sort of jab and just wrapping his arms around his sister.

"Clara and I can't congratulate you all enough." Lucas beamed.

"I don't mean to brake the happy tension or anything, but..." The Tenth Doctor began, gaining everyone's attention. "There's one more thing I'm still curious about."

"What's that?" Lexi asked him, giving him a kind smile as the Eleventh Doctor took his arms from around her and just settled for keeping an arm around her shoulders.

"Elizabeth..." Ten trailed off, giving Lexi a look. "I married her. But apparently I'm going to marry you in the future..."

Lexi and Elven shared knowing looks.

"I hate to break it to you... well, actually, I don't." Eleven said as he looked back to his predecessor. "But, you didn't marry Queen Elizabeth the First."

"Yeah, I actually did." The Tenth Doctor replied, confused.

"Mm, actually not." Lexi shook her head, a grin spreading across her face.

Ten narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you do?"

Lexi smirked at him.

 **~o0o~**

FLASHBACK

 _Outside, Castle, Courtyard_...

The Tenth Doctor managed to pull away from the kiss.

"Godspeed, my love." Elizabeth told him.

"I will be right back." He said to her before running for his TARDIS, the rest of the group following after him.

Lexi and the Eleventh Doctor lagged back a bit as everyone else began heading for the TARDIS while Elizabeth began heading back to the castle.

"Thank you, Charles." Lexi told the minister quietly.

"No problem, Glorious." The man smiled at her. "Anything for old friends."

Eleven chuckled. "Tell Cathryn and the children we said hello."

"Will do." Charles nodded, smiling kindly at them and raising a hand in farewell as the Couple of Time went to catch up with everyone that were going into the TARDIS.

END OF FLASHBACK

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main_...

"A fake minister?!" Everyone gawked.

Lexi laughed at their expressions. "Charles is a merchant we met a while back on a previous trip to Elizabethan England." She looked over to the Tenth Doctor. "So when you go back there, try not to let it slip that Charles isn't actually a member of the Clergy. Don't want him getting executed or anything."

"Oh, no, wouldn't want that." Ten chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at his successor and how in love he was with the woman who was to be his future wife. "Lexi Pond, the Glorious... Oh, I can't wait to meet you."

"I remember it well." Lexi grinned at him.

"I can't thank you all enough." The War Doctor smiled as he stood up from the lone viewing bench in the room, looking to his future selves. "Well, gentlemen, it had been an honor and a privilege."

"Likewise." The Tenth Doctor nodded.

"Doctor." The Eleventh Doctor smiled at him.

"And if I grow to be half as brave and faithful as you, my dear," The War Doctor looked to Lexi. "I shall be happy indeed."

"I'll try my best to make you happy." Lexi smiled at him.

"Oh, I think you will." He told her with a smile, glancing at Jupiter and Sky before looking back to Lexi and his future selves as his smile faded a bit. "I won't remember this, will I?"

The Eleventh Doctor nodded solemnly. "The timestreams are out of sync. You can't retain it, no."

"So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it." The War Doctor let out a breath. "I'll have to live with that." He straightened. "But for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again." Everyone grinned at that. This was indeed a very different War Doctor than the one they all had met earlier. "Thank you." He nodded at them before turning to the TARDISes. "Which one is mine?"

Clara giggled. "Is is that hard to tell?"

"Better get a move on, Doctor." Lexi grinned. "I'll be waiting."

The War Doctor just laughed before going and entering his TARDIS, said TARDIS being the most beat up one out of the bunch.

Everyone watched with small smiles as the War Doctor's TARDIS dematerialized out of sight.

 _Inside, War Doctor's TARDIS_...

The War Doctor stood at his console, looking down in surprise when he saw gold regeneration energy swirling around his hand.

"Oh, yes, of course." He muttered. "I suppose it makes sense. Wearing a bit thin." He nodded, accepting is fate as he leaned his head back slightly while the regeneration energy spread to his neck and face. "I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time."

 _Inside, National Gallery, Under Gallery, Main_...

The Tenth Doctor sighed, turning towards his successor and Lexi. "I won't remember either... So you might as well tell me."

The Eleventh Doctor blinked. "Tell you what?"

"In the cell earlier," Ten began, looking to Lexi. "I asked a question that upset you. I now understand why. Sorry, by the way." He apologized sincerely. "But there was something else." He said, looking from Lexi to Eleven. "Something neither of you wanted to talk about. You never said it out loud, but I could see it. You're afraid of something."

"Everyone's afraid of something." Eleven pointed out.

"No." The Tenth Doctor shook his head. "This was different. You know something that you wish you didn't. But you do. It's like you know your fate. Your big, scary fate. So please, for this one time, just tell me... Where is it we're going that you don't want to talk about?"

The Eleventh Doctor took in a shaky breath, his arm tightening around Lexi. "We saw Trenzalore." He said, seeing his predecessor's eyes widen slightly while Sky, Jupiter, Clara and Lucas all looked down sadly, not liking the mention of that place. "Where we're buried. We die in battle among millions."

"That's not how it's supposed to be." The Tenth Doctor shook his head again.

"I always like to say that the story never ends." Lexi sighed, leaning her head against Eleven's shoulder. "But unfortunately, very unfortunately... There's really nothing we can do about it."

"Trenzalore is where you're going." The Eleventh Doctor nodded.

"Oh, never say nothing." Ten shrugged innocently, then shook his successor's hand before pulling Lexi into a hug. "Fate might just change its mind and have something new in-store for you."

"Oh, that'll be a time." Lexi chuckled, pulling away from him slightly and pecking him on the cheek. "Don't worry, your future is in relatively safe hands."

Ten smiled at her before then turning to Clara and Lucas. "Keep a tight hold on it, you two."

"Consider it done." Lucas nodded before he and Clara watched him turn to Sky and Jupiter.

"And you two," Ten shook his head, still in disbelief of not only having a wife in his future, but two children as well. "I won't ever deserve you."

"Well, as our dear Mummy says," Jupiter smiled at him. "None of us ever deserves anything."

"We just get lucky." Sky nodded, finishing his sister's thought.

The Tenth Doctor smiled at that, nodding. "Indeed we do." He then sighed as he went over to his TARDIS, unlocking it. "Trenzalore..." He muttered, pausing in the doorframe to glance back at the people of his future. "We need a new destination because... I don't want to go."

The Eleventh Doctor chuckled softly at that, him and everyone else watching as the Tenth Doctor entered his TARDIS fully, shutting the door behind him. "He always says that..."

"Does the Family of Time need a moment alone with their painting?" Clara asked the Couple of Time and the time twins as the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS dematerialized.

"I think we do." Lexi nodded.

"We can tell." Lucas smirked. "You all have those big, sad eyes."

"Do not!" Sky protested.

Lucas and Clara just laughed before walking towards the only TARDIS that was left.

"We'll leave you to it!" Clara called, opening the door before entering.

"Oh, there was an old man looking for you." Lucas added as he paused in the doorframe. "I think he was the curator."

The Eleventh Doctor, Lexi and the Twins of Time then all sat down on the bench in front of the painting as Lucas closed the TARDIS door.

"I could be a curator." The Eleventh Doctor said, braking the silence as he smiled a bit. "I'd be great at curating. I'd be the Great Curator. I could retire and do that."

"And Mum could be the one to point people in the right direction after they got lost because of you." Jupiter snickered, Lexi giggling softly at that. "Because we all know that would happen."

"I could retire and be the curator of this place." The Eleventh Doctor nodded, smiling slightly at his daughter's comment.

"You know, I really think you might." A voice behind them said.

The four of them turned and blinked, seeing an old man behind them, leaning on a walking stick.

The Eleventh Doctor blinked, standing up and narrowing his eyes. "I never forget a face."

"I know you don't." The Curator nodded, a happy little smile spreading across Lexi's face when she heard a bit of the Fourth Doctor in him. "And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few, but just... the old favorites, eh?" The Eleventh Doctor winked, making the Curator chuckle before he turned to look at Gallifrey Falls. "You were curious about this painting, I think. I acquired it in remarkable circumstances. What do you make of the title?"

"Gallifrey Falls No More?" Sky asked.

"Ah." The Curator smiled. "So you did figure it out. Indeed... It is not No More. Nor is it Gallifrey Falls. It all is, in fact, one title. Did any of you find out what that means?"

"Gallifrey didn't fall." Lexi answered, her smile becoming wider. "It worked. It really is still out there."

"I'm only a humble curator, my dear." The Curator shrugged. However, there was a sort of twinkle in his eye that said otherwise. "I'm sure I wouldn't know."

The Eleventh Doctor bounced eagerly on the balls of his feet. "Then where is it?"

"Where is it indeed?" The Curator wondered. "Lost. Shush!" He put a finger to his lips, winking at the Family of Time. "Perhaps. Things do get lost, you know. And now you must excuse me." He turned. "Oh, you have a lot to do."

"Do we?" Lexi asked.

"Mm." He nodded.

"Is that what we're supposed to do now? Go looking for Gallifrey?" The Eleventh Doctor questioned.

"Oh, it's entirely up to you." The Curator shrugged. "Your choice, eh? I can only tell you what I would do if I were you." He chuckled. "Oh, if I were you... Perhaps I was you, of course. Or, perhaps... you are me. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much." The Eleventh Doctor grinned.

"Or perhaps it doesn't matter either way." The Curator chuckled as he left. "Who knows, eh? Who knows."

Sky and Jupiter grinned as their mother laughed, kissing their father's cheek before grabbing his hand, the four of them then running back to the TARDIS.

They all had work to do.

 _Outside, Courtyard_...

"I don't think I've ever felt this lighthearted, Lucas." Clara stated as she and Lucas sat at a small outside table during their lunch break at Coal Hill the next day.

"Their happiness in saving something so important to them is contagious." Lucas agreed, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"Do you think they'll get better from now on?" Clara tilted her head, absentmindedly peeling the label off her own water bottle.

Lucas just smiled, shrugging. "We can only hope."

 **~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~**

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The Doctor smiled as he and his family worked the controls, flying the TARDIS to where they had a certain appointment.

The Eleventh Doctor ~ " ** _Clara and Lucas sometimes ask us if we dream._** "

Lexi grinned, taking her husband's hand as they began heading for the TARDIS doors.

Lexi ~ " ** _Of course we dream., we tell them. Everybody dreams._** "

Sky glanced at his sister and smiled widely as he held his hand out to her.

Sky ~ " ** _But what do you dream about?, they'll ask_**."

Jupiter giggled softly as she took her brother's outstretched hand, the two of them following after their parents.

Jupiter ~ " ** _The same thing everybody dreams about., we tell them._** "

The Eleventh Doctor took a deep breath before opening the doors, he and his family stepping out.

The Eleventh Doctor ~ " ** _We dream about where we're going._** "

 _Outside, TARDIS, ?_...

Lexi giggled at that thought as she and her family walked out to join the Doctor's past incarnations.

Lexi ~ " ** _They always laugh at that. 'But you're not going anywhere. You're just wandering about.'_** "

Sky grinned as the golden orange planet, one that was now frozen in a single moment, came into view.

Sky ~ " _ **That's not true. Not anymore. We have a new destination.**_ "

Jupiter smiled as she let go of Sky's hand, the two of them coming to a stop as their parents continued on to join the line of Doctors.

Jupiter ~ " ** _Our journey is the same as yours, the same as anyone's._** "

The Eleventh Doctor took Lexi's hand, giving it a squeeze as the two of them came to a stop in the middle of the line of Doctors that contained the Doctors from Two and onwards.

The Eleventh Doctor ~ " ** _It's taken me so many years, so many lifetimes, but at last I know where we're going._** "

Lexi glanced back to see the Doctor's very first incarnation, said man nodding at her with a small smile as Jupiter and Sky stood on either side of him.

Lexi ~ " ** _Where we've always been going._** "

Lexi smiled back at the First Doctor before turning her head again to gaze up at Gallifrey as it hung in suspended animation in space.

The Family of Time ~ " ** _Home, the long way 'round._** "

The Family of Time in the TARDIS, just as it should be.

* * *

 **A/N: And there you freaking have it! *falls onto the couch in exhaustion***

 **That, my friends, was a doozy.**

 **I still had so much writing it, though!**

 **This last episode part was super long, I know. But I still really, really hope you enjoyed everything. ️ I hope my writing of this episode lived up to what y'all had hoped for.**

 **And questions? Ask me.**

 **Any more comments? Tell me.**

 **What part(s) did you like?**

 **What parts did you not like (if there were any)?**

 **Feedback really is the best thing you can give me. :)**

 **Anyway... I feel a bit drained after writing an episode like this. And I know the next episode *cough* isn't going to make me feel much better...**

 **BUT, before we get to that, I have one more fluffy _Gloronimo_ filler chapter that I want to write for y'all.**

 **However, I am going to take a tiny break to rest. Not long, though.**

 **Until next time!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 ** _~Maddy_**


	67. Happy 27th Wedding Anniversary

**A/N: Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm happy to see that y'all seemed to really enjoy "The Day of the Doctor". And I'm also happy to see that y'all caught on to Dr. Lake Sonata's name as well. Not like it was that hard or anything. I mean, I gave her that name very deliberately since her backstory revealed that she and River had been friends at Luna University.**

 **Now, since we all know what episode is coming up next, I thought it would be nice to have one last Gloronimo fluff filler chapter before we go crying our eyes out with their departure. I'm gonna miss writing fluff for them! Although, I am very excited for their successors to come aboard the TARDIS and begin having their adventures!**

 **Also, random thing: I've been listening to Josh Groban's new single " _Granted_ " on repeat because I LOVE IT SO MUCH! ❤️**

 **Anyway... here's your last dose of just pure Gloronimo fluffy feels!**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Now, we'll be gone for a few hours at least. More if things work out like I'm hoping." The Doctor spoke as he fiddled with the controls of the console. "So no wild toga parties while we're out."

"Who would we invite, anyway?" Sky snickered as he was kicked back in one of the chairs of the console room.

"Clara and Lucas, among a few others that I can think of." The Doctor pointed out, flipping a lever.

"You know, Clara and Lucas do have lives when they're not with us." Sky reminded him. "What we do isn't all there is."

The Doctor paused at that statement. "You're more like your uncle than I thought." He muttered before just shaking his head. "Look, it doesn't matter. We're leaving you and Jupiter in charge of the TARDIS while we're gone. So no toga parties and popping off to Ancient Rome."

"Alright." Sky sat up straight, his elbows on his knees. "Jupe and I won't take the TARDIS to Ancient Rome."

The Doctor nodded in response as he checked a monitor before glancing at his son, eyes narrowed. "Or Ancient Greece."

"Oh, come on!" Sky threw his head back in frustration, the TARDIS making a series of beeping noises as if she was laughing at him. "Oi!" He pointed up at the ceiling. "No one asked you."

The TARDIS just whirred back in response.

The Doctor chuckled, shaking his head at the two while he looked himself over in the reflection of one of the monitors on the console, straightening the black bow tie he was wearing. A bow tie that he had switched into from his regular one since he had also put on a black suit. Well, tuxedo would be the better term. But anyway, point was: he was definitely stepping his attire up tonight.

Sky just glared up at the TARDIS's ceiling, crossing his arms over his chest as he slowly leaned back in his seat before looking back to his father. "Anyway, where are you two going, again?"

"A place we haven't been to in quite a while." The Doctor answered, not looking at his son as he fixed a few stray hairs, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You know, I've never seen you get this dressed up." Sky remarked, smirking slightly at the sight of his father being so into making sure he looked okay.

"Yes, well, it's not everyday you celebrate twenty-seven years of marriage." The Doctor responded, straightening out his suit jacket.

"Exactly." Sky replied. "Twenty-seven. It's not like it's one of the big ones. Like ten, or twenty, or thirty."

"Every year is special." The Doctor said, glancing at his son. "Especially if it's with someone like your mother."

"Only someone in love would say that." Sky pointed out, absentmindedly tapping his foot against the console room floor.

"How would you know? You've never been in love." He retorted before rethinking his statement and glancing at his son again. "Have you?"

Sky snorted. "No." He answered, drumming his fingers against his arm. "I mean, I dated around a bit in university but never anything close to love."

"Eh." The Doctor shrugged looking back at his reflection in the monitor, doing a couple of final checks of his appearance. "Maybe it'll happen for you one day."

Sky rolled his eyes. "We can only hope I'll be that lucky."

"Okay, I think she's just about ready!" Jupiter beamed excitedly as she emerged from a corridor and into the console room before walking down a set of stairs, clad in her fuzzy dark purple dressing gown and tiger slippers. "She's just doing a couple of final touches on her eye makeup. I tried attempting a smokey eye, but she kept worrying I was going to end up poking her in the eye. I told her she was just being paranoid. But I relented and let her takeover. Don't want to make Mummy upset tonight. Anyway –"

"Jupiter, sweetheart, breathe." The Doctor cut her off, an amused smile crossing his features.

"Right." Jupiter nodded, inhaling deeply. "I'm just so excited for you both." She grinned, clapping excitedly before stepping up to her father and straightening his bow tie for him. "Well, mostly Mum 'cause she is looking gorgeous. You, Dad, are in for a treat."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me." The Doctor chuckled as Jupiter stepped away from him to stand next to where Sky was still sitting. "Now, ground rules: What is the TARDIS not?"

Sky sighed, uncrossing his arms. "Something to do with as we please. No toga parties, going to Ancient Rome, blah blah blah. We know."

"Good boy." Jupiter smirked, patting her brother on the top of his head, said brother swatting her hand away in annoyance.

"Now, you two behave." Lexi's voice warned, making everyone turn to see her standing at the opening of a corridor with a slight smirk playing on her lips. "We're trusting you with Idris tonight."

The Doctor swallowed, his eyes trailing up Lexi's body from the silver high-heeled pumps she was wearing, to the slit in her long figure hugging emerald green dress that went all the way up to her mid thigh, to the DG necklace she always wore before his eyes landed on her lightly made-up face that was framed by her brilliant long red hair that was styled in soft curls.

"Jupiter?" The Doctor said quietly.

"Yes?" She responded, a knowing smile adorning her features.

"You were right."

Jupiter laughed before just looking to Lexi again. "You look beautiful, Mum."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Lexi smiled, gracefully descending the stairs before coming to a stop in front of her family, her eyes going to the Doctor. "You ready?"

"I think you'll have to give him a moment to fully catch up." Sky commented when he noticed his father's zoned-out expression.

"You, er..." The Doctor cleared his throat, blinking. "Glorious, you are."

Lexi couldn't help but giggle, pecking her husband on the cheek before looking to her children. "Be good. Alright?"

"We'll be fine." Jupiter waved her off, reaching inside her dressing gown and pulling out her VM. "We're staying in the time vortex. Here."

"And if something should go wrong, what do you do?" The Doctor questioned as he took the VM from his daughter before putting it around his wrist.

Sky sighed, standing up from his seat. "Try our best to contact River, wherever the hell she might be."

"I don't think your father would use those exact words, but basically, yeah." Lexi smiled wide, looping her arm through the Doctor's and placing her hand on top of the VM that he now wore around his wrist. "Don't wait up."

"Oh, trust us, we won't." Jupiter let out an amused huff before making a shooing motion at her parents. "Now, go! Go have fun!"

The Couple of Time just laughed, the Doctor putting in a few coordinates into the Vortex Manipulator before turning it on and making himself and Lexi disappear.

Jupiter sighed contently before then making her way towards the stairs that lead out of the console room. "Your plans for tonight, brother mine?"

"Search through the library or something." Sky shrugged as he followed after her. "You?"

"I am going to continue my binge watching of Psych." Jupiter grinned as they entered the corridor that lead from the console room. She then tilted her head slightly as a semi-random question popped into her mind. "Do you think Mum and Dad will have a good time tonight?"

"I think they will." Sky nodded before letting out a chuckle. "Let's just hope they don't have too much fun, if you catch my meaning."

"Yeah, kinda hard not to." Jupiter rolled her eyes before turning a corner and going down another corridor towards her room. "G'night!"

"Night!" Sky called back as he continued on his way to the library.

 _Inside, Restaurant, Evening_...

Lexi shook her head slightly as she watched her husband make a face after taking a sip from the wine glass in his hand. "I told you your tastebuds wouldn't change. Have you forgotten you hate the taste of wine?"

"It would appear so." The Doctor cleared his throat, handing Lexi back her wine glass.

Lexi giggled, rolling her eyes as she took a sip from the wine glass before setting it back down on the table she and the Doctor were seated at. "That's why you ordered sparkling grape juice, so you could pretend that it was wine."

"And I am glad that I did that." The Doctor laughed lightly, taking a sip from the wine glass that actually contained sparkling grape juice.

Lexi smiled at him, reaching across the table and lacing her fingers with his. "I'm glad that we did this."

"Me, too." The Doctor smiled back at Lexi, absentmindedly rubbing her sapphire wedding ring with his thumb. And it was true. It had been... a long time since the Couple of Time had gone on an actual date.

"You know," Lexi began as she took another sip from her wine glass. "I've missed Zaravelia. I almost forgot how beautiful it was here."

"It is." The Doctor agreed, glancing to the side and looking out of the open window he and Lexi's table was next to, seeing the pretty gardens that surrounded the Zaravelian restaurant they were at. A restaurant that actually looked more like a small mansion. "I like to think of this planet as our place."

Lexi grinned, gazing out of the window with him. "Well, we did have our honeymoon here."

"True." The Doctor nodded as the two of them turned back to looking straight at each other. "It's a funny coincidence that Doctor Sonata is from this world."

"Yeah, it really sort of is." Lexi agreed, smiling slightly at the mention of Lake. "That woman was an interesting character. I mean, I know we didn't talk to her for that long, but... I liked her. She was nice."

"I agree." The Doctor nodded before jumping slightly when he suddenly felt a foot making its way up his pant leg. "Lex... What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" She asked casually, taking another sip of wine.

"If you keep that up," The Doctor began lowly, reaching under the tablecloth and taking hold of Lexi's leg that was extended out from the slit in her dress. "you won't make it to dessert."

Lexi smirked. "By that logic, you wouldn't either."

"Oh, no, I'd be having dessert." He told her as his hand ever-so slowly started making its way up her leg.

"Doctor!" Lexi's eyes widened, clearing her throat as she took her leg away from him before slipping her foot back into her heel and keeping it firmly planted on the floor underneath the table. "You know, you're clever and mad. But, you can also be one of the cheekiest individuals I've ever met."

"You're not mad at it, though." He pointed out with a grin, making Lexi laugh before she downed the rest of her wine.

 _Later_...

"You remember our first anniversary?" The Doctor asked quietly, his hand on the small of Lexi's back as they slow danced amongst a few other couples.

"How could I forget?" She asked rhetorically, rolling her eyes as she held the Doctor's free hand while her other one was placed on his shoulder. "It was while we were watching the cubes. I was around eleven months pregnant with the twins."

"It was during that month we stayed at Amy and Rory's." The Doctor spoke fondly as he and Lexi gently swayed from side-to-side. "You didn't feel like moving around that much, so to give us a bit of space, Amy and Rory went out for the night. Then you and I ordered takeaway and watched Love Actually."

"I didn't care if it was Christmas movie." Lexi giggled, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder.

"And I didn't want to upset you." The Doctor said as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I mean, you had swallowed a planet."

"Oi." She lightly smacked the back of his head, but was smiling nonetheless. "Pregnant, Chinny."

The Doctor chuckled as his arms tightened around her. "What about our second anniversary?"

"Oh, God." Lexi groaned at the memory, hiding her face in the crook of the Doctor's neck. "That was the night that..."

 _Later (Again), Outside, Gardens_...

"And then there was our seventh anniversary." Lexi shuddered slightly, her and the Doctor walking hand-in-hand through the gardens that surrounded the mansion-like restaurant. "Sky and Jupiter were staying the night with a couple of their primary school friends. You and I just picked some random place to eat, and then after we arrived back at the house, I ended up getting food poisoning."

"Don't feel too bad, though." The Doctor told her, lightly swinging their arms back and forth in between the two of them as they walked. "The same thing happened to me the following year."

"Those two anniversaries weren't really that lucky, were they?" Lexi commented, tilting her head as she thought back.

"Definitely not." The Doctor agreed before putting an arm around Lexi's shoulders as they continued their stroll.

 _A little later (Again), Outside, Balcony_...

"And then there was last year." Lexi said as she and the Doctor were leaned against the railing of a balcony of the mansion-like restaurant. "It was during our year stay in Victorian London. Neither of us were really in that good of a place during that time."

"Understandable, of course." The Doctor nodded, holding one of her hands as they looked out at the Zaravelian sunset, both of them admiring its shades of purple, dark blue and red.

Lexi smiled sadly, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I think we've gotten a tiny bit better since then."

"I agree." The Doctor said, turning and pressing a kiss to the top of his wife's head before then turning to look back out at the sunset.

Lexi sighed, tightening her grip on his hand. "You're beginning to respond to me in three words or less."

"And...?"

"You only do that when you're over-thinking something else."

The Doctor smiled slightly as he leaned his head on top of hers. "You know me so well."

"Of course, I do. I am your wife, after all." Lexi replied, playing with his fingers as she spoke. "Now, what's taken over your thoughts, dearie?"

"We saved Gallifrey, Lex." The Doctor said softly.

"I know we did. I was there."

"You know what I mean." He rolled his eyes, nudging her shoulder with his. "We saved it. It's out there."

Lexi nodded in agreement. "And we'll find it. Someday."

"Hopefully." The Doctor sighed, letting go of her hands before running a hand through his hair. "Trenzalore is also out there, Lex. It's getting closer. I don't know when we'll go, but I can feel it. 'Cause once we go there –"

"Stop." Lexi cut him off, turning to face her husband fully, said man doing the same as he faced her. "Yes, Trenzalore is approaching. Trenzalore is where we'll end up. Key word here: We. We're going together. And isn't that what matters in the end?"

"Of course it is." The Doctor told her, taking and holding her hands in both of his. "But you sacrificed everything for me. And even though you've been with me for so long, I knew that I would eventually lead you to your final destination."

"We've been through this, dearie." Lexi stated as she took her hand from his and cupped the side of his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I don't care about me individually. I care that I end up with you. I'm going to be with you till the very end."

The Doctor smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers. "The very end?"

"The very end." She confirmed, pressing her lips against his before pulling away slightly. "But we can't be too sad. Because once we're gone, Sky and Jupiter will still be around. They each still have twelve faces left."

"That is very true." He agreed softly, pecking her lips once. "They'll carry on and be amazing."

"Just as they have always been." Lexi nodded with a small smile before wrapping her arms around her husband and hugging him close.

"I love you." The Doctor muttered, pressing his face into the crook of her neck, his grip around her tightening. "I love you so much."

Tears of... emotion brimming her eyes, Lexi held her hand to the back of his head. "I love you, too. More than anything."

Sigh... The Couple of Time would stay together for as long as they could. For the Doctor was nothing without his Glorious. Just as the Glorious was nothing without her Doctor.

* * *

 **A/N: *sniffles* I loved this. I hope you did as well. ️**

 **I'm feeling... feels right now!**

 **This little slice of Gloronimo feels has got me dreading the next episode. I'm not ready to say goodbye to them!**

 **But alas, we have to. *pouts***

 **Even though I'm sad that we just have one more episode for 11 and Lexi 1.0, I am still excited for the episode itself. It's emotional, but so good! We'll also be getting a guest appearance from Lucas's mother. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to who I've picked for her face-claim?**

 **Anyway, I guess I shall say goodbye for now...**

 **I am now going to eat dinner before I start work on 11 and Lexi 1.0's (A.k.a. Gloronimo's) final episode.**

 **Wish me luck on dealing with all the feels I'm going to be experiencing before all of you!**

 **" _The Time of the Doctor and the Glorious_ " is next! 🎄**

 **Until then!**

 ** _💋 Love always,_**

 ** _~Maddy_**


	68. Time of the Doctor and the Glorious: 1

**A/N: *sighs* Hello, everyone.**

 **I'm sad to say... this is it. This is the final episode for our beloved Gloronimo.**

 **I really wish this hadn't come so soon. At least it feels like it's soon.**

 **But nonetheless, here we are.**

 **And for the last time in this book, here are our guest stars.**

~o0o~

GUEST STARRING

• **Emma Stone** as _Jupiter Pond_

• **Richard Madden** as _Skyler_ " _Sky_ " _Pond_

• **Emma Thompson** as _Margo Harper_

~o0o~

 **And yes, the amazing Emma Thompson is portraying Lucas's mum! She isn't in this episode very much, as you'll find out. But, that doesn't mean she won't show up again. *not so subtly winks***

 **Anyway, we've come to an episode that I know a lot of you have been excited for, but also dreading it at the same time.**

 **The Doctor and the Glorious take their final stand on Trenzalore, and the battle for the universe comes sooner than anyone thought it would.**

 **Silence will fall... For this is " _The Time of the Doctor and the Glorious_ ".**

 **Enjoy! 😘**

* * *

" _Once, there was a planet, much like any other, and unimportant. This planet sent the universe a message, a bell tolling among the stars, ringing out to all the dark corners of creation. And everybody came to see. Although no one understood the message, everyone who heard it found themselves afraid... except one man and one woman. The man and woman who stayed for Christmas._ "

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Ship_...

Two cloaked figures beamed onto one of the ships, one of them holding up a Dalek eyestalk.

"We bring proof of courage and comradeship!" The Doctor announced, lowering the hood of his cloak. "What is this ship, and why are you here? Identify yourselves by species and planet of origin."

There was a moment of silence before... blue lights appeared in the shadows of the room, a low beeping noise starting up.

"EXTERMINATE!"

Jupiter threw back the hood of her cloak as a parade of Daleks streamed out into the open area. "Handles!" She screamed.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

"Lex!" The Doctor shouted, pulling Jupiter back. "Skyler!"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Suddenly, the father and daughter duo were teleported off the Dalek ship, both of them spinning around to see Lexi at the console, a damaged Cyberman head attached to it.

"So... Daleks?" Lexi guessed, raising an eyebrow.

"Daleks." Jupiter confirmed, sighing as she flung her cloak off, not caring where it landed.

"Every ship any of us go on, they just shoot at us." The Doctor ranted, flinging his own cloak off before storming up to the Cyberman head. "Handles, I said, 'Put us on a ship.' I didn't say, 'Put us on a Dalek ship.' Don't put us on a Dalek ship when one of us is holding a broken bit of Dalek!" He hit the Cyberman head with the eyestalk... which rebounded and hit him in the head. "Ow!"

"You did not indicate a preference." Handles said.

"Use your head." The Doctor huffed. "It's not like you've got a lot of alternatives."

Jupiter snickered before glancing towards Lexi. "Where's Sky, Mum?"

"Yeah..." Lexi winced. "He got a bit impatient and, er..."

Just then, there was a flash of light as Sky was beamed back into the console room, looking a little worse for wear with his usually curly hair sticking up in every direction and his tan suede jacket hanging half off of him.

Jupiter's eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

"Attack... of the... potato dwarfs." Sky panted before falling backwards to the floor.

"Uh... What do we do?" Jupiter asked, looking up from her brother's unconscious body to look back and forth between her parents.

"Oh, he'll be fine." The Doctor waved her off. "It's actually quite cleansing once you come to." He said as he walked around the console to look at the monitor Lexi was next to. "They're all here. Daleks, Sontarans, Terileptils, Slitheen."

"But they're not even fighting. They're just parked." Lexi shook her head, squinting as she herself looked at the monitor. It really was an unusual thing for so many races. "Why?"

"The message was received throughout the universe." Handles responded.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, the message, the message. Even we can't translate it. I mean, why is everyone here if they can't understand it?"

"You're here."

"I don't think that's what he meant, Handles." Jupiter sighed, leaning with both her hands on the console. "I mean, Dad's OCD, Mum likes to over-analyze, and Sky was... well, attacked by Sontarans, apparently."

"Oi!" The Doctor pointed at his daughter. "Watch it. Anyway, what's their excuse?" He asked before just shaking his head as they listened to the three-toned message that was playing. "What does this message mean?"

Lexi's phone then rang in her back pocket, and she blinked, looking for it. "Who the hell could that be?"

"I don't know." The Doctor shrugged, glancing to the side when he heard Sky stirring. "Not that many people call you, dear."

"Thanks." Lexi glared at him before looking at the Caller ID, furrowing her eyebrows when she saw who was calling her before she answered. "What can I do for you, Miss Oswald?"

" _Hi!_ " Clara's panicked voice answered. " _Emergency. I need to borrow your son._ "

Lexi blinked. "What?"

" _Is he there?_ "

Lexi glanced over to see Sky blinking up at the ceiling as he came back to his senses. "Yeah, hang on, Clara." She spoke into her phone as she walked over and crouched by Sky, holding her phone out to him. "For you."

"Mm." Sky just nodded, lazily taking his mother's phone from her as he propped himself up on his forearm. "Skyler Pond here."

Lexi just shook her head as she got to her feet again. "Remind me, we've got to patch the outside phone back through the console unit." She said as she made her way back to the monitor.

"Noted." The Doctor nodded as he went and peered over her shoulder to look at the ships that the monitor was displaying.

"What... can I do for you, Clara?" Sky breathed as brought himself to sit against the bottom step of the stairs that lead out of the console room.

" _You alright? Have you been running?_ " Clara asked, a series of clanging noises being heard in the background.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just got attacked by a batch of... potato things." Sky his head, running a hand through his hair to try and tame it again. "Anyway, how are you?"

" _Fine. Good. Yeah. Anyway, bit of a situation... You're my boyfriend._ "

Sky blinked. "I... am?"

" _For today, yes. 'Cause you know, Christmas dinner, me cooking._ "

"Okay, you're going to have to make sense of this for me." Sky sighed, his fingers against his temple. "Why am your boyfriend?"

" _Like I said, I'm cooking Christmas dinner and my family's coming and –_ "

"And you told them you had a boyfriend. Okay, I'm getting the picture now." Sky nodded, the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as he straightened out his jacket before getting to his feet again.

" _Please?_ " Clara begged.

Just then, something on the scanner beeped, Jupiter going over to join her parents to see what it was.

"That's a new one." Lexi stated, pointing to a certain spot on the screen.

"We'll take the TARDIS this time." The Doctor said, giving Lexi's shoulders a squeeze before grabbing Handles off the console.

"Be careful!" Lexi called as the Doctor and Jupiter headed for the doors.

"I'll be there Clara." Sky told her. "Just a moment, though."

" _Oh, yeah, one more thing._ " Clara's voice said as more clanging was heard in the background. " _Can Jupiter come, too?_ "

"Why?" Sky asked, watching as his father opened the TARDIS door and stuck the Cyberman head out first before he and Jupiter exited themselves.

" _'Cause Lucas may or may not have also accidentally invented a fake girlfriend._ "

"Thanks, Clara, for making me sound as desperate as you!" Lucas's voice said in the background before there was a loud thud. "Ow! What that for?!"

" _We're asking for their help, we don't need to be fighting._ " Clara hissed before talking to Sky. " _So, can she?_ "

More shooting sounded from outside before the Doctor and Jupiter sprinted back inside, Sky getting a glimpse of the shooters just before Lexi rushed to close the doors. "Er... hang on. I'll... check." He spoke into Lexi's phone before looking to Jupiter. "Jupe, Lucas needs a fake girlfriend."

" _Oh, come on!_ " Lucas's voice shouted, making Sky hold the phone away from his ear while also hearing Clara's laugh.

"Yeah, sure, fine." Jupiter panted, shaking her head as she held her hands on her knees. "I hate Cybermen."

"Clara, Lucas, we'll be there." Sky spoke into the phone while keeping his eyes on his family as Lexi checked the Doctor and Jupiter over. "Like I said, give us a mo and we'll see you soon." With that, he hung up, tossing the phone back to Lexi, said woman effortlessly catching it as she went back to the console. "Well, Jupe, looks like you and I have a Christmas double-date."

"Ugh." Jupiter rolled her eyes as she rounded the console. "The first date I've had since university and you're going to be there."

"Yes, well, it's a fake one." Sky said, glaring slightly at his sister. "So we're both in for it."

"Christmas dinner?" The Doctor questioned as he joined Lexi at the console.

"Clara and Lucas apparently made up fake partners for their Christmas dinner." Sky explained, coming to stand next to his sister. "And also apparently, Jupe and I fit the bill."

"To Clara's, then." Lexi nodded, flipping a couple of switches. "You know, this takes me back to your first dates when you both were in secondary school."

"Ah." The Doctor smiled at the memory. "How time flies."

"Please don't." Jupiter sighed. "We don't need to relive those memories."

"Why?" Lexi smirked at her daughter. "They're some of my favorites. I remember when you –"

"Okay, that's enough. To Clara's." Sky said quickly, flipping a lever as his parents started laughing at them.

 _Inside, Clara's flat, Sitting room, Day_...

Clara and Lucas shared a look, both of them taking deep breaths before going back into Clara's sitting room, where Lucas's mother and Clara's father, step-mother and grandmother were waiting.

"How's the turkey doing?" Clara's step-mother, Linda, asked.

"Great." Clara nodded, fidgeting anxiously. "Yeah, yeah, it's doing great. Well, dead and decapitated, but that's Christmas when you're a turkey."

"Actually, maybe I will have a little more." Clara's gran said as she eyed her wine glass.

"I wouldn't mind some myself either." Lucas's mother, Margo, lifted her wine glass in agreement.

Clara smiled, refilling their wine glasses. "There you go, Gran, Mrs H."

"Did you put it in early enough?" Clara's father, Dave Oswald, asked.

"Dad, I put it in when you phoned me." Clara sighed.

"I emailed you some instructions."

"You certainly did." Lucas snorted, wincing when Clara elbowed him in the side. Their little squabble was soon interrupted, however, by the sound of the TARDIS engines wheezing.

 _Inside, Clara's flat, Kitchen_...

Clara and Lucas rushed into the kitchen, both of them going and peering out the window to see the TARDIS on the green outside. The duo shared a look, grinning before running from the kitchen and to the flat's door.

 _Outside, Block_...

The two friends hurried down the stairs and towards the TARDIS, Clara losing her paper crown in the process. They were about to go inside when Jupiter poked her head out.

"One second." She held up a finger.

"What's the matter?" Lucas asked.

They then heard running footsteps before Sky was at Jupiter's side.

"Had to finish putting clothes back on." Sky told them.

Clara blinked. "I'm... sorry?"

"Long story." He waved her off before looking between her and Lucas. "Not that we mind helping you out, which we don't, but why couldn't you both just use each other and pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Lucas scoffed. "There's no way either of our families would ever believe the two of us were dating."

"It's true." Clara nodded in agreement. "When you've been like brother and sister practically your whole lives, it'd be pretty hard to believe us acting another way."

"Fair enough." Sky shrugged.

Jupiter just giggled slightly before calling back into the TARDIS. "Are you done yet? Can we look now?"

Lucas frowned slightly when he heard two zapping noises. "Yes, dears!" Lexi's voice answered.

"The clothes are back!" The Doctor agreed.

"Thank the universe for that." Jupiter mumbled as she opened the doors wider.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Clara and Lucas followed the time twins into the TARDIS and saw the Doctor and Lexi trying not to laugh.

"Wait a second..." Clara eyed them. "Were you all naked?"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"...why were you all naked?"

"Sky and Jupiter are the only ones not anymore." Lexi laughed. "I mean, we are going to Church."

"So... Jupiter and Sky, your children, are the only ones wearing actual clothes?" Lucas questioned, his eyes getting wider and wider as he asked his question.

"Hologram clothes, projected directly onto your visual cortex." The Doctor nodded.

Clara raised an eyebrow. "So you're still naked underneath?"

"Everybody's naked underneath."

"Ugh." Clara shuddered. "Don't say things like that. It's Christmas."

"Now, what's this about meeting your families?" Jupiter clapped her hands together, regaining their attention.

 _Inside, Clara's flat, Sitting room_...

"Hello!" Clara grinned as she and Lucas ran back inside, tugging Sky and Jupiter in after them. "Here they are."

"The Oswalds." Sky flashed them a smile.

"And you must Lucas's Mum." Jupiter smiled, shaking Margo's hand. "I'm Jupiter."

"Merry Christmas." Sky greeted everyone, he and Jupiter both being well aware of their parents sneaking through the back way of Clara's flat. Apparently there was a certain bird that was in need of a certain kind of assistance.

"So, this is Sky." Clara smiled. "My boyfriend."

"Hello." Clara's gran smirked at him, her wine glass now empty as Sky raised his eyebrows.

Jupiter cleared her throat, holding onto Lucas's arm. "Clara, Lucas dear, didn't you want to show us what we're having for dinner?"

"Yes!" Clara nodded, snapping her fingers at her before tugging Sky off again.

"This way." Lucas smiled, he and Clara leading them to the kitchen.

 _Inside, Clara's flat, Kitchen_...

When the four of them got into the kitchen, Lexi was frowning as she used her sonic to scan the turkey in the oven. "Oh, this just won't do."

Clara thumped her head against the cabinet in frustration. "Please tell me there's something we can do about it."

"Not without setting off the alarms in here." The Doctor answered, tossing a whisk he had been messing with over his shoulder, said whisk making a clink as it landed in the sink. "Although, I think a decent vet would give it an even chance."

"Okay. Well, use an app."

"An app?"

"On any of your screwdrivers. App it."

"Sadly, none of our screwdrivers do turkey." Sky chimed in as he snooped through the kitchen cabinets.

"I think we should add that to the list of settings we don't have, but want." Jupiter nodded, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter next to Lucas.

"No, we'd need a time machine." The Doctor shook his head before blinking as Sky leaned passed an open cabinet door, a snickerdoodle in his mouth as he saw Clara give his parents a pleading look. "What?"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"You can't keep using the TARDIS like this!" The Doctor complained, he and Sky holding the doors open as Clara carried the turkey into the TARDIS.

"Like what?" Lucas asked as he, Lexi and Jupiter followed, the Doctor and Sky closing the doors once they were all inside.

"Missed birthdays, restaurant bookings." The Doctor answered as they all walked down the stairs that lead to underneath the console. "And please, just learn how to use iPlayer."

"Vortex cooking." Lexi stated as she took the turkey from Clara before going and putting it in a compartment of the workings under the console. "It has something to do with exposure to the time winds. It should come up a treat."

"Either that, or it'll possibly lay some eggs." The Doctor nodded.

Lucas tilted his head. "Yeah... let's hope it's the first one."

"Information available." Handles suddenly said.

"What's that?" Clara asked.

"Oh, just a bit of a Cyberman." The Doctor answered as they all headed back up to the console. "He'll get us to the church on time."

"I have developed a fault." Handles informed them.

"The organics are all gone, but there's still a full set of data banks." The Doctor said as he set the TARDIS in motion. "Found it at the Maldovar market."

"Planet identified from analysis of message."

"Great." Lexi smiled. "Go on, then. What's the planet?"

"Processing official designation. Processing."

"Okay, in your own time, Handles." Jupiter sighed, patting the top of the Cyberman head.

Looking at the monitor, Lucas narrowed his eyes as he examined the snowy planet they were looking at. "So why haven't any of you gone down there and had a look?"

"It's shielded." The Doctor answered. "Even the TARDIS can't break through it."

"Gallifrey."

All six of them spun around to look at Handles in shock.

"What did you say?" The Doctor demanded, eyes wide.

"Gallifrey." Handles repeated.

"What are you talking about? Gallifrey? What do you mean?"

"Confirmed. Planet designation, Gallifrey."

"Er..." Lexi frowned, nudging Lucas aside to look at the monitor herself, taking another look at the snow-covered planet. "I'm from Earth, and not all of it is snowy. So, correct me if I'm wrong, dearie, but this is not Gallifrey. Right?"

"No, no, no, definitely not." The Doctor agreed.

"Dad?" Jupiter frowned. "Are you okay?"

"It's not Gallifrey." The Doctor shook his head. "Gallifrey is gone."

"And we all saved it." Sky pointed out, quickly going over to the doors and opening them to look down at the planet. "But yeah, this is definitely not it."

Suddenly, there was a big and loud foghorn blast that made Sky stumble back into the TARDIS, said man quickly snapping his fingers and making the doors close.

"Okay, what was that?" Clara asked.

Lexi sighed, going over to the doors herself and opening them back up to look. "It's the Papal Mainframe." She said as everyone came and joined her at the doors. "It's like one great, big flying church."

"It was the first ship to arrive." The Doctor added. "They're the ones who shielded the planet. They can get us down there."

A woman's face then appeared as a hologram against the side of the ship, the Doctor bowing as Lexi gave a slight curtsy.

"Friend of yours?" Lucas asked.

"Tasha Lem, the Mother Superious."

Lexi smiled slightly when she saw Tasha crook her finger at them. "And she's invited us aboard."

Clara tilted her head. "Why?"

Jupiter smirked. "Because they asked."

"Swallow these." Sky said, handing Clara and Lucas small pills.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Your hologram projectors." Lexi grinned, patting him on the back. "You can't go to church with your clothes on."

Clara and Lucas made disgusted faces, but both reluctantly agreed and took the pills.

Clara, still weary, then reluctantly left the console room, Lucas going to follow but stopped before turning back. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret what I'm about to ask, but I can't help but wonder... Clara and I can see your clothes." He pointed at the Couple of Time and time twins. "So... how exactly does this whole thing work?"

"Well..." Lexi drawled out. "To avoid awkwardness, the Doctor and I can see Sky and Jupiter's clothes. They can see each other's clothes. And they can see our clothes."

"Right." Lucas nodded slowly before opening his mouth, a finger raised. "But wait... if you can see Sky and Jupiter's clothes, and they can see yours and each other's, then that means..." He closed his eyes. "You and the Doctor can't see each other's clothes, can you?"

"What would be the fun in that?" The Doctor grinned.

"Okay, that's enough for me." Jupiter clapped her hands together before walking past Lucas to exit the console room.

"Yeah, I definitely regret asking." Lucas sighed.

"Yeah, I would, too." Sky clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. Might as well get changed."

"Regret, so much regret." Lucas muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he followed after Sky, Lexi laughing hysterically behind him.


	69. Time of the Doctor and the Glorious: 2

_Inside, Papal Mainframe, Audience chamber_...

"I don't feel like I'm wearing anything." Clara whispered as they walked between two rows of military/church personnel that lined a long red carpet walkway that was suspended over a deep chamber.

"I know." The Doctor whispered back. "Relaxing, isn't it?"

"What is this place?" Lucas asked, looking around.

"The Church of the Papal Mainframe, security hub of the known universe." Jupiter explained as they approached the dais where Tasha was standing, waiting for them with a Colonel at her side.

Clara raised an eyebrow. "A security church?"

"Yep." The Doctor nodded. "Keeping you safe in this world and the next." He stopped before the Mother Superious. "I venerate the exaltation of the Mother Superious."

The Colonel near Tasha nodded as the Doctor, Sky and Lucas bowed; Lexi, Jupiter and Clara curtsying. "Welcome to the Church of the Papal Mainframe. Your nudity is appreciated."

Tasha smirked. "Hey, babes."

"Loving the frock." The Doctor nodded at her.

"Is that a new body? Give us twirl."

"Tash, this old thing?" The Doctor laughed slightly, turning in a slow circle. "Please, I've been rocking it for centuries."

"And he's not lying." Lexi smirked. "Hello again, Tasha."

"Glorious." Tasha smirked back. "Still gorgeous as ever. You don't look a day over fifty."

"Oh, please." Lexi grinned, waving her off.

"Nice, though... Tight."

Sky cleared his throat. "We're still here."

"Ah," The Doctor raised a finger. "Sky, Jupiter, I believe you know of Tasha. And Lucas, Clara, this is Tasha Lem, the Head of the Church of the Papal Mainframe." He explained. "Tasha, these are our children, Jupiter and Skyler; and our associates Clara Oswald and Lucas Harper."

Tasha nodded before glancing at the Colonel. "We'll go to my chapel." She then directed her attention towards everyone else. "All honors in place, no sacrifices required."

Lucas raised his eyebrows. "What?"

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Corridor_...

"It was Tasha who shielded the planet." The Doctor said as they all walked down a dimly lit corridor. "But you could sneak us down there, couldn't you, Tash?"

Tasha turned. "I would have conditions. I have confidential matters to discuss with the Doctor and the Glorious. Would you excuse us?"

"Anything you have to say to us, you can say in front of them." The Doctor shook his head.

"Please, Tasha, after you." Lexi just sighed, grabbing the Doctor hand as she looked at their companions and children. "None of you mind waiting, right?"

"Oh, for the love of what's still innocent in my head, please go." Jupiter responded. "You and Dad have needed a room for a while now."

"That's my girl." Lexi smirked.

"Please, just go." Sky sighed, waving them off.

And they did, the doors to Tasha's chambers closing behind them, leaving the Twins of Time and the Impossibles standing in the corridor.

Clara and Lucas then turned around and away from Sky and Jupiter, freezing when they saw a mouthless creature in a suit as it reached out with three long fingers.

Lucas swallowed. "Jupiter?"

She turned around to see, her eyes widening. "Silent!"

"What?" Sky whirled around to see.

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Tasha's chambers_...

Lexi raised an eyebrow as they entered the chapel. "That altar looks like a bed."

"That bed looks like an altar." Tasha corrected as she prepared them drinks.

"Yep." The Doctor agreed as he pressed the mattress before sitting on it, Lexi joining him as Tasha walked over and handed them glasses filled with some sort of blue liquid.

Tasha then pressed a panel on the headrest as the Doctor and Lexi took sips from the glasses, the Doctor immediately spitting it back into his glass while Lexi made a face before shrugging and taking another sip.

The three-toned message beeped, and Tasha leaned towards them. "That message is transmitting through all of space and time. What did it make you feel?"

"Feel?" The Doctor repeated, setting his glass aside before getting to his feet.

"Every sentient being in the universe who detected that signal felt something. Something overpowering."

"What?"

"Fear. Pure, unadulterated dread."

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Corridor_...

"Just so you know, when it disappears, you'll forget it was ever there." Jupiter told Lucas and Clara.

"How does that work?" Clara gripped onto Lucas's arm.

Sky sighed as he walked up on the other side Clara, all of them watching as the Silent vanished behind a screen. "After all this time, we're still not too clear on it."

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Tasha's chambers_...

"Right." The Doctor nodded as he walked around to the other side of the altar!bed. "What's the signal? Where's it coming from?"

"It's a settlement." Tasha answered, setting down her glass next to the Doctor's. "Human colony, level two. A farm, basically."

"Has anyone been for a look?" Lexi enquired before downing the rest of whatever was in her glass, setting it aside before getting to her feet.

"Any one ship lands, the rest will follow." Tasha shook her head as Lexi walked around to join the Doctor on the opposite side of the altar!bed. "There will be bloodshed. Fortunately, we got here first, shielded the planet. We maintain the truce by blocking all of them."

"Daleks, Cybermen, one of that lot could break through your defenses." The Doctor pointed out, leaning over the bed.

"Perhaps. But they're afraid, remember? Nobody wants to go first."

Lexi grinned as she leaned over the bed herself. "We do."

Tasha smirked at them. "I was counting on it."

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Corridor_...

"Confess..." One of the Silents hissed. "Confess..."

"What are you?" Lucas asked as he, Clara and the time twins backed up to Tasha's chapel doors. "Why do we keep forgetting you?"

"Confess..." The Silents hissed. "Confess..."

"What?" Clara asked.

The doors behind them then opened, making them stumble into Tasha's chambers.

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Tasha's chambers_...

Tasha, Lexi and the Doctor whipped around at the time twins' and companions' entrance.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked in surprise.

"Fine." Clara blinked, frowning. "Yeah, fine. Sorry."

"Right, this is my personal teleport." Tasha told them, leading them over to what sort of looked like a confessional booth. "I can put you down just outside the town. Find the source of the message and report back to me in one hour." She said before looking to directly at the Doctor and Lexi, eyes narrowed. "And on your life, Couple of Time, you will cause no trouble down there."

"When do we?" The Doctor asked, heading into one of the confessionals.

"Let's count," Lexi began, a finger raised.

"Can we not?" Lucas sighed, closing his eyes.

Lexi just chuckled, shaking her head as she stepped into the booth with the Doctor before closing the curtain, Tasha quickly pulling the curtain back open.

"What?" The Doctor frowned.

"I'm not an idiot." Tasha raised an eyebrow, holding her hand out expectantly. "Everyone in this church is trained to see straight through holograms."

Clara winced. "Ah. Great."

"Give, now. You are taking no technology of any kind down there."

"What can I do with a key?" The Doctor asked.

"You four, in." Lexi gestured for her children, Lucas and Clara to go into the other confessional.

"You could summon your TARDIS." Tasha answered as Sky, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas climbed into the other box.

"The TARDIS doesn't work by remote." The Doctor said before sighing when Tasha didn't relent. "Fine. If t makes you feel any better, there we are."

He tossed her the TARDIS key he had been wearing around his neck, Tasha nodding as she caught it before going over to the confessional booth's control panel. "Remember, I want you back in one hour."

 _Outside, Snowy woods, Planet, Night_...

The six of them appeared on the snowy planet below, Clara and Lucas shivering as they immediately felt the cold. "Oh, cold. Very cold."

"Okay, don't worry." The Doctor waved them off. "There's a heat loss filter in your hologram shells. It'll kick in, just give it a moment. So, sweet little town covered in snow... half the universe in terror. Why? Why?"

"Doctor!" Lexi suddenly shouted, eyes wide.

"What?" He turned to look, only for his own eyes to widen when he saw his wife looking at a stone arm sticking out of the snow. "Lex... stand back."

"Yeah, no protest from me." She nodded, backing away, not taking her eyes off the arm. "Don't... blink."

"Exactly." The Doctor nodded, not taking his eyes away from the stone arm as he grabbed Lexi's hand and pulled her all the way back to be beside him.

"Why?" Clara frowned. "It's just stone."

"Yeah, it's definitely not." Sky said quickly as he looked around, watching as other stone hands began emerging from the snow.

"They're called Weeping Angels." Jupiter said, pulling Lucas back as she tried to keep her eyes on as many of the stone creatures as possible.

"How are they doing that?" Lucas asked. "They're climbing out of the snow."

"Look at as many of them as you can." Lexi ordered, looking around.

"Why?" Clara asked.

"Quantum-locked life-form." The Doctor answered. "It can only move if it's unobserved."

"What are they doing here?" Jupiter demanded.

"Same as everybody else. Must've gotten past Tasha's shield. Keep looking!"

"We can't be looking at all of them at the same time." Sky shook his head as the six of them all stood back-to-back, watching as the Angels were climbing out of the snow and advancing.

"I can't, I can't see." Clara reached to wipe her eyes. "The snow's in my eyes."

The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "I just need to bring the TARDIS down."

"You can't fly it remotely!" Lucas exclaimed.

"No." The Doctor agreed. "But, it can home in on the key."

"But she took your key!"

"She took one of them!" Lucas and Clara blinked as the Doctor whipped off his hair, actually revealing it to have been a wig, and held up a glowing key, the TARDIS materializing around them.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"Engines activating." Handles announced.

"The old key in the quiff routine. Classic." The Doctor grinned, setting the wig on top of Handles before he and Lexi went about working the controls.

"Homing in on the mysterious message." Lexi said, flipping a few switches.

"Ooh, I like that." The Doctor told her. "The mysterious message."

"You've shaved your head." Clara deadpanned, staring blankly at the Doctor.

"Yep. Clever plan to get us past the shield."

"You got bored one night, didn't you?"

"Oh, Miss Oswald," Lexi smirked. "we never get bored at night."

Lucas sighed. "You walked right into that one, Clara."

Jupiter rolled her eyes. "You really didn't see that coming?"

"Yeah." Clara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I think Lucas and I should really know better by now."

"Found it." Lexi announced, glancing at one of the scanners. "Setting us down near the signal source. Probably good to put the engines on silent. Don't want to make a fuss."

"Put it back on." Clara said, snatching the wig off Handles before tossing it to the Doctor.

"Why?" He asked.

"Your ears are like rocket fins."

The Doctor grinned. "I know!"

 _Outside, Town, Street_...

"Oh, it's good to be wearing clothes again." Clara sighed in relief as they walked into the town not too long after, lit trees lining the street on either side. "That's so much better, don't you think?"

"Now, what do we make of this place?" The Doctor scanned around with his sonic. "It's two o'clock in the afternoon. Must be very short days here. The message is coming from that tower."

"People coming." Jupiter warned, looping her arm through Lucas's.

"Right." The Doctor nodded, Lexi looping her arm through his. "We're families from the next town. My name's probably Hank or Rock, something like that."

Lexi snorted. "Or Daisy."

"Oi." The Doctor nudged her playfully as they walked up to join the couple approaching. "Hello, good to meet you. Nice snow."

"Most pleasant to meet you, too." The man nodded.

"Most pleasant." The woman agreed, smiling. "Most pleasant."

The Doctor nodded then opened his mouth, letting loose a stream of words. "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I stole a time machine and ran away and I've been flouting the principal law of my own people ever since." He clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. "That wasn't quite what I was meant to say!"

Lexi pat his arm, smiling before opening her mouth. "I'm the Glorious, born Alexis Pond. Born on the planet Earth, turned Time Lady when I got married to a madman in a realty that never actually happened." Her eyes bugged open as she clapped a hand over her own mouth. "What the hell is that?"

Clara shook her head, then blurred out. "I'm an English teacher from the planet Earth, and I've run off with my best friend with man and woman and their children from –"

"And that's enough of that." Lucas put a hand over her mouth.

"I think, perhaps, you should stop talking till you get used to it." The woman smiled.

"Used to what?" Sky frowned, glancing at his sister, both of them sharing confused looks before they looked back to the woman and man. I mean, the twins knew a bit of self-control when it came to talking. Their parents, however...

The woman tilted her head. "What did you say your names were?"

"Bubbly personality masking bossy control freak!" Clara answered, immediately covering her mouth with her hand.

"I'm wearing a wig!" The Doctor pointed to his head.

"I'm fifty-one years old even though I only look twenty-five." Lexi said quickly before clapping a hand over her mouth again. She slowly uncovered it as a thought occurred to her. "Wait... Is this a truth field?"

"Oh, a truth a field!" The Doctor exclaimed, grinning. "I haven't seen a truth field in years." He pointed at his head again. "I'm wearing a wig."

"Yes, we know." Lexi pushed his hand down.

"No one can lie in this town." The man said. "Especially this close to the tower."

Lucas glanced up to the tower before looking back to the couple. "Doesn't that make life a bit difficult?"

"Not at all." The woman shook her head.

"Yes." The man answered, making Sky snicker.

"This town, what's it called?" The Doctor asked.

"It's Christmas." The woman answered.

He blinked. "It's July."

She laughed. "No, the town! The town is Christmas. That's what it's called."

"Be happy here." The man nodded. "Be well."

Clara tilted her head as the couple walked off. "How can a town be called Christmas?"

"Well, Earth's got an island called Easter." Sky shrugged before swinging an around her shoulders. "Maybe it's just nice here."

"I'd almost hate to see what's wrong." The Doctor remarked as they all began heading for the church.

 _Inside, Church, Basement_...

The Doctor, Lexi, Sky, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas all walked down a set of stairs and began looking around the room, Lexi pausing as something grabbed her attention. "Well, hello again... Long time, no see."

"Lex, what are y–" The Doctor cut himself off when he saw what Lexi was looking at. "Ah." His eyes narrowed. "There you are. What took you so long?"

Lucas frowned. "What's the matter? It's only a crack in the wall."

"Oh, dear Lucas," Lexi shook her head as she slowly began approaching the crack. "it is so much more than that."

"I knew." The Doctor said as he went over to join Lexi, both of them gently running their fingertips over the edges. "I always knew it wasn't over."

"Then what is it, really?" Clara asked.

"A split in the skin of reality." The Doctor answered. "A tiny sliver of the 26th of June, 2010. The day the universe blew up."

Clara and Lucas shared a look. "Missed that." Lucas cleared his throat.

"That's because they put it all back together." Jupiter stated, untangling her arm from Lucas's before taking a step forward. "That was right before you met me and Sky, wasn't it?"

Lexi gave her daughter a smile. "For the very first time."

"You did say, though, that it was the TARDIS that blew up in the first place. Right?" Sky pointed out.

"Well, I felt a degree of responsibility." The Doctor responded, shrugging. "That was around the time that I realized that I truly wanted to keep your mother around." He absentmindedly grabbed Lexi's hand. "But anyway, the scar tissue still remains." He and Lexi then turned back to the wall. "A structural weakness in the whole universe." He scanned the crack with his sonic before stepping back, tugging Lexi back with him. "Whoa! And someone's trying to get through it from outside our universe, from somewhere else." He sighed. "Oh, of course... Of course. It makes sense."

"What does?" Clara asked.

"If you were trying to break through a wall, you'd choose the weakest spot. If you were trying to break into this universe, you'd choose this crack because... no. If you were trying to break back into this universe." He let go of Lexi's hand and went over to where he had set Handles down. "You said Gallifrey. Why did you say Gallifrey?"

"Analysis of message composition indicates Gallifreyan origin, according to TARDIS data-banks." Handles answered.

Lucas frowned. "Hang on... You said Gallifrey was gone."

"I did." The Doctor agreed. "But, it's in another universe. The message is coming through here. The truth field is, too, at a guess."

"Could it be the Time Lords?" Lexi asked softly, pressing her hands against the wall above the crack.

Just then, the three-toned message began to resonate again, prompting the Doctor to take an item out of his pocket.

"Seal of the High Council of Gallifrey." He stated, showing everyone. "Nicked it off the Master in the Death Zone." He then placed it on Handles. "There is an algorithm imprinted in the atomic structure. Use it to decode the message."

"Message decoding." The Cyberman head informed. "Message analysis proceeding. Information available. The message is a request for information."

The Doctor scowled at Handles. "It's a question. Why can't you just say it's a question?"

"It's being projected through all of time and space on a repeating cycle."

"Oh, my God." Lexi whispered. "It can't be..."

"Glorious?" Lucas asked. "Do you know it?"

Lexi took in a shaky breath. "The oldest question in the universe," She glanced at the Doctor. "hidden in plain sight."

"Warning, translation will be available to all life-forms in range." Handles said. And after a moment's more of silence, he spoke. "Translation follows. Doctor Who?" The Doctor's face drained of color as the voice changed each time. "Doctor Who? Doctor Who? Doctor Who?"

The Doctor leaned against the wall, glancing at Lexi. "You've never really met the Time Lords, and they've never really met you. But this question is a question that only you and I can answer. It's a truth field to be sure that there are no lies." He then looked towards their children and companions. "If either of us gives my name, they'll know they've found the right place... and that it's safe to come through."

"A secret that I'll take to our grave." Lexi whispered before straightening. "I'm not giving it."

"I know, Pond." The Doctor smiled sadly at her. "I know."

"The Time Lords?" Clara asked, trying to clarify, the Doctor and Lexi both nodding. "Okay, so what then? If you answer the question and they come back, what happens?"

"Oh, I just remembered." Lexi said suddenly, taking a small cylindrical device out of her coat pocket before handing it to Lucas. "Lucas, I need you and Clara to go back to the TARDIS and put this in the charger slot for our sonics. Sky and Jupiter will show you where it is."

"Why?" He asked.

"Hell." The Doctor said, stepping up next to Lexi. "All hell. That's what happens if the Time Lords come back. There's half a universe up there already, waiting to open fire."

"It's safer in the TARDIS." Lexi explained. "This is for your own good. Now, please, do as we say."

Lucas pressed his lips into a thin line, gripping the device tighter before and Clara reluctantly ran off to do as they were told.

Sky and Jupiter gave their parents a knowing look, the Couple of Time nodding at their children before said time twins ran off as well.

"Doctor!" Tasha's voice shouted from outside. "Glorious! Speak with me! Doctor! Glorious! Face me now! Doctor! Glorious!"

 _Outside, Church, Belfry_...

The Doctor and Lexi rushed up the stairs, reaching the top of the bell-tower to see Tasha's face as a hologram in the sky.

"Mother Superious, There is only one thing we need from you." The Doctor said. "This planet, what's it called?"

"Trenzalore." Tasha responded, making the Couple of Time look at each other. Lexi put a hand over her mouth and turned away... this was it. This is where she and the love of her life were going to die. Their final battle. The very end. "If you speak your name, the Time Lords will return."

The Doctor frowned up at Tasha as Lexi turned back to them. "If they return, they will come in peace."

"It doesn't matter. They will be met with a war that will never end. The Time War will begin anew. You know that, Doctor." Her gaze drifted to Lexi. "And just as you have felt, Glorious."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

Lucas and Clara ran into the TARDIS, Sky and Jupiter shutting the doors after they themselves entered.

"Sonic chargers..." Lucas muttered as he and Clara looked around.

"Here." Jupiter took the device from Lucas before going and putting it into one of the charger slots, looking up as the engines started.

"I hope the engines are supposed to do that." Clara commented, tilting her head as she watched the time rotor.

"Mum and Dad said our safety was important. The TARDIS is just protecting us." Sky explained, lying through his teeth.

The engines then stopped, Lucas sighing in relief. "Done." He said before he and Clara ran for the doors.

 _Outside, Block, Day_...

Lucas and Clara emerged from the TARDIS, but instead of the snow planet, they found themselves right back on Earth at Clara's flat complex.

The two friends whirled around to face the TARDIS again, only to be met with Jupiter giving them a regretful look.

"I'm sorry." She told them before quickly slamming the doors shut.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

"I hate this." Sky stated as he quickly began working the controls on the console, flying the TARDIS how she should be flown.

"Me, too." Jupiter sighed, rushing up to the console to help her brother with the controls.

"It was for their own good." Sky said, flipping a couple of switches.

"Yeah, we'll have to keep telling ourselves that." Jupiter muttered, flipping a lever.

 _Outside, Block_...

"It was a trick." Lucas's eyes widened.

"No, don't you dare!" Clara shouted, running to the TARDIS and trying to put her key in the lock even as it dematerialized, Lucas running and grabbing onto the side. "No! No!"

 _Outside, Church, Belfry, Night_...

"They're asking for our help!" The Doctor shouted.

"And if you give it, war will be the consequence." Tasha countered. "I will not let that happen at any cost. Speak your name, and this world will burn."

"The hell, it will." Lexi shook her head, using her sonic on the bell, making it toll. "This planet is protected." She declared before she and the Doctor headed back downstairs.

 _Outside, Town_...

The Couple of Time emerged into the snowy night, going to stand on the steps of the church as the townspeople gathered.

The Doctor nodded at them. "So, you lot, a quick word, thank you. Spot of news. Christmas has some new sheriffs. Hello, everyone. I'm the Doctor, and this is the Glorious."

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Audience chamber_...

Tasha went and stood on the dais as she assembled the whole of the Papal Mainframe.

"Attention!" She called. "Attention all Chapels and Choirs of the Papal Mainframe. The siege of Trenzalore is now begun. There will now be an unscheduled faith change. From this moment on, I dedicate this church to one cause: Silence. The Doctor will not speak his name, and war will not begin. Silence will fall!"

"Silence will fall!" The shouts echoed. "Silence will fall!"


	70. Time of the Doctor and the Glorious: 3

" _In the time that followed, the Papal Mainframe strove to maintain the peace between the Doctor and his enemies._ "

 **~o0o~**

 _Outside, Town, Night_...

The townspeople went about their business, unaware of aliens in their midst.

In one particular area, there were tracks made by an invisible vehicle.

 _Inside, Ship_...

"We remain undetectable to the Papal Mainframe." One Sontaran said to another as they sat within their ship.

 _Outside, Town_...

Elsewhere, the Doctor peaked through the limbs of a Christmas tree as he activated his sonic, making an alarm sound.

 _Inside, Ship_...

"Commander Skarr!" One of the Sontarans exclaimed. "That's the detection warning. Our invisibility cloak is compromised."

"What's wrong with it?" Skarr glanced at him.

"I don't know. I can't see it."

"Well, it looks invisible to me." Skarr frowned just before there was a loud thud.

 _Outside, Town_...

A sonic blast rang out and the Sontarans' vehicle exploded, sending bits and pieces everywhere.

" _The Church of the Papal Mainframe apologizes for your death. The relevant afterlives have been notified._ "

 **~o0o~**

" _As the days passed, and the years, the Doctor and the Glorious stayed true to their word. On the fields of Trenzalore, they stood as protectors, both of their own people and their new home._ "

 **~o0o~**

 _Outside, Town_...

Lexi dusted her hands off, smirking as she left a group of Weeping Angels staring at their reflections, **_Love from Gloronimo, baby_** spray-painted on them.

 **~o0o~**

" _Through the years, the Couple of Time's foes would find new, stranger ways to enter the town called Christmas._ "

 **~o0o~**

 _Inside, Church, Basement_...

With a few grey streaks in her brilliant red hair, Lexi sat in a chair as she stared at the crack that was still in the wall. She tilted her head, frowning a bit as she contemplated where her and the Doctor's children might be. They had hoped the time twins would come back to them at some point. It had been around three centuries since they had last saw them or the TARDIS. Anyway, whatever had happened, she hoped they were okay.

Lexi looked up when she heard the alarm bells ring. She glanced back to see the older, and greying, Doctor walking towards her, a cane helping him.

"That's our cue." He told her, offering a hand to help her out of the chair.

Lexi gave him a small smile and took his hand, ignoring her slightly arthritic hip as they headed for the stairs.

 _Outside, Town_...

The Doctor and Lexi headed outside, the Doctor using his cane as Lexi held onto his other hand, the two of them seeing a wooden Cyberman talking to a young boy called Barnable.

"The Doctor is required."

Ignoring the Cyberman, the Doctor let go of Lexi's hand before pulling out a wooden rifle and tossing it to Barnable. "There you go, Barnable."

"Thanks." The boy smiled.

"Working fine. Nice action. Don't leave it out in the rain again." He tossed the next toy to a young girl. "Fixed the wheels and the anti-gravs."

The little girl blinked. "The anti-whats?"

The Doctor sighed. "May have gone a bit far. Now, then, what do we have today?" He asked, tilting his head as he turned to the wooden Cyberman. "Don't you move one step further. Wooden Cyberman. Nice. Like it." He limped his way over, Lexi close by his side in case he needed her. "Low tech, doesn't set off the alarms upstairs." The two stared at each other, the Doctor then zapping it with his sonic as the wooden Cyberman attempted to raise its creaky arm. "Only bit of tech allowed in. Got in before the truce. Now, I just sent an instruction to your firearm to reverse the polarity and fire out the back end. Now, since we're standing in a truth field, you will understand I cannot be lying. If you like, you can scan my screwdriver, verify that's the signal I sent."

"Signal verified." The Cyberman said before shooting itself in the chest.

The Doctor smirked. "Yes, I probably should have mentioned, this doesn't work on wood. You send your friends up there a message from the Doctor and the Glorious. You tell them the Doctor and the Glorious stay."

Lexi grinned, clapping her hands together as the Doctor used his cane to topple the wooden Cyberman. "Next!"

 **~o0o~**

" _With every victory, the town celebrated. In time, the Doctor seemed to forget he'd lived any other life. However, the Glorious always remembered. And the people of the town came to love the man and woman who stayed for Christmas._ "

 **~o0o~**

 _Outside, Town_...

"You've got to _be_ the drunk giraffe!" The Doctor exclaimed as he taught the children his dance, Lexi giggling as she watched from the side. "You've got to commit! Don't be cool, guys. Cool is not cool."

"Cool is not cool!" They echoed.

"And what's the dance we're doing?"

"The drunk giraffe!"

"The drunk giraffe!" He agreed. "Yeah, it is. Merry Christmas! Also, is it just me, or does my wife look like she needs a hug? Go on, bring it in!"

Lexi laughed as the children threw themselves at her. "Careful, you lot. I'm not as young as I used to be."

The Doctor chuckled, patting Barnable on the shoulder. "How's your father's barn?"

"You've fixed the leak alright, but he says it's bigger on the inside now."

"Shush." The Doctor put a finger to his lips. "They'll all want one."

A very familiar wheezing noise suddenly echoed, and Lexi's head shot up. "What... the hell?"

"What is it?" Barnable looked around as a blue police public call box tried to materialize. "What's that noise?"

"Well!" The Doctor huffed, hitting the ground with his cane. "Where have you been for three hundred years?! Huh!"

"What's that?" Barnable asked as Lexi walked over to join them, limping a bit.

"It's our ship."

"Your what?"

"It's our TARDIS. That's how we got here in the first place."

Barnable slumped slightly. "Does this mean you're leaving?"

Lexi couldn't help but smile, shaking her head as she saw Clara and Lucas were hanging onto the TARDIS for dear life, both of them with their eyes shut tight. "You two really are impossible."

Lucas's eyes snapped open before he jumped off the TARDIS and whirled around to face Lexi. "You tricked us!"

"I saved you." She pointed out.

"We were in space." Clara whispered, opening her eyes before slowly detaching herself from the TARDIS.

"Actually, it was the time Time Vortex." The Doctor corrected. "She must have extended the forex field. No wonder. No wonder she's late, dragging you around."

Clara shook her head and walked a few paces away before abruptly turning back. "You still tricked us."

"Okay, be furious, blah blah blah." Lexi waved her off. "It doesn't matter. The point is, you both were safe."

"You didn't even say goodbye!" Lucas scowled. "You even had Jupiter and Sky lie for you."

"Jupiter and Sky." The Doctor said, as if remembering something.

"Mum?"

"Dad?"

The four of them turned to see the Twins of Time standing in the open TARDIS doors.

Lexi slowly walked towards her children. "It's been so long."

Sky blinked. "It's only been a few minutes for us."

"You have something to do with this." Jupiter pointed at Lucas and Clara, frowning before turning back to her parents. "You've changed."

"We've gotten old." Lexi laughed slightly as the Doctor came to stand beside her. "That's what happens after three hundred years."

"Three hundred years?" Sky asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lexi smiled tearfully at her son before pulling him into a hug. "Come here, Sunbeam."

"Oh, Dad." Jupiter sighed, shaking her head before wrapping her arms around her father. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, my Angel." The Doctor whispered, holding his hand to the back of her head. "Don't you ever be."

Clara and Lucas shared a look as they watched the Family of Time. They didn't speak, but they knew. They had been the cause of this. They had kept this family apart. Unintentionally, of course. But it still happened.

 _Inside, Church, Basement_...

"Ha." Clara smiled softly as she looked over gadgets and toys that were strewn across the Doctor's workbench while Lucas looked over the children's drawings that were hung all over the walls. "Oh, Doctor. Fixing toys and fighting monsters."

"Lex is a bit more able than I am in that department." The Doctor stated, holding up his cane to emphasize his point. "Then again, neither of us are spring chickens anymore."

"The turkey isn't done yet." Jupiter stated as she came down the stairs.

"Is it still asking the question?" Sky asked, looking at the crack in the wall, crouching next to where Lexi was sitting in her chair again.

"Oh, it never stops." The Doctor nodded before going and picking Handles up off the workbench. "Alright, you lot, come upstairs. It's almost time."

"What for?" Lucas asked, glancing at him.

"Dawn." Lexi answered as Sky helped her stand. "The light here only lasts a few minutes. You don't want to miss it."

 _Outside, Church, Belfry, Morning_...

"It's a standoff." The Doctor explained as the six of them all sat around a small fire a short time later, the Doctor polishing Handles with a handkerchief. "They can't attack in case we unleash the Time Lords. And we can't run away because they'll burn this planet to stop the Time Lords."

"After all these years, we've finally found somewhere that needs us to stick around." Lexi chuckled, lifting a warm mug of tea to her lips. "A town called Christmas, no less."

"S'pose it could've been worse." The Doctor shrugged before setting Handles down on a blanket beside him. "There you go, buddy. Comfy?"

"Comfort is irrelevant." Handles answered.

The Doctor readjusted him on the blanket. "How's that? Is that better?"

"Affirmative."

"You just take it easy buddy." The Doctor pat his head before looking back to his and Lexi's companions and children. "He's getting old. We do our best for him, but... we just can't get the parts, you know." He chuckled. "Hey, I know the feeling."

"Where do you get these?" Clara asked as she sat between Sky and Lucas, all of them roasting marshmallows.

"We have a supplier." Lexi smiled, setting her mug of tea aside. "The Doctor's quite fond of the pink ones."

Handles suddenly spoke, his voice wobbling. "I have developed a fault."

"Hey, don't you worry, Handles, you're just dreaming." The Doctor told him. "The sun's coming up very soon. You just hang on in there."

"So you don't have enough to energy to change?" Jupiter asked quietly as she sat on the other side of Lexi.

"If you, your brother and River had given me enough to change, I probably would've done it by now." Lexi answered. "I just take the days as they come."

"I have developed a... fault." Handles said again. "I... have developed a fault."

The Doctor's small smile completely dropped. "Hey, Handles." He picked the Cyberman head up. "Come on. Come on. One more dawn, you can do it. You've got it in you. Come on, just hang on in there."

"Attention. Emergency. Attention."

"Handles, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Urgent action required. You must patch the telephone device back through the... console... unit."

Handles' lights flickered and then faded as Lexi closed her eyes. "Rest in peace, Handles."

"Thank you, Handles." The Doctor pat the Cyberman head. "And well done. Well done, mate."

"Wow." Lucas's eyes lit up, and everyone looked out to the mountains to see the sun rising as birds began chirping.

"What do you think of our new place?" The Doctor asked. "We come up here once a day for a few minutes."

Lexi set her hand on top of his as she kept her gaze on the horizon. "It serves as a reminder to us of what we're protecting."

"It's beautiful." Clara nodded before glancing at the Couple of Time. "Why did you send us away?"

"And why did you help?" Lucas added, looking to Sky and Jupiter.

"Because if I hadn't, then we would've buried you and Lucas a long time ago." Lexi answered Clara.

"And we helped because we would've outlasted you, too." Sky answered Lucas's question.

"We still have twelve faces left." Jupiter stated, agreeing with her brother. "Although, we didn't expect you and Clara to latch onto the TARDIS. You certainly are persistent things, I'll give you that."

"None of you get it." Clara frowned. "Lucas and I, your friends, we never would've let any of you get stuck here."

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed. "Everyone gets stuck stuck somewhere eventually, Clara. Everything ends."

"Except you." Lucas pointed out.

"Have you not been paying attention?" Lexi gestured at herself and the Doctor. "We're an old man and woman now."

"But you don't die." Clara shook her head. "You change. You pop right back up with new faces."

"I haven't before." Lexi told her. "And just like I said to Jupiter a few minutes ago, if I had enough energy to change, I most likely would've done it by now."

"And I can't do it forever." The Doctor added. "I can change twelve times. Thirteen versions of me. Thirteen silly Doctors."

"Okay..." Lucas frowned in confusion. "So you're number eleven."

"We do have to remember Daddy's War self, though." Jupiter reminded them. "No number, but still a Doctor."

Clara tilted her head slight. "Then that's twelve."

"Well..." The Doctor drawled out. "Number ten may or may not have regenerated and kept the same face."

"Vanity issues?" Sky guessed.

"Yeah." The Doctor admitted. "But that's twelve regenerations. I can't ever do it again. This is where we end up. These faces."

"This only version of me." Lexi gestured at herself, smiling sadly. "We all saw this planet in the future, remember?"

"All those graves." The Doctor sighed, glancing at Lexi. "One of them ours."

"Change the future." Clara suggested as the sun started to set again.

"We can't."

"You've got your TARDIS back."

"Don't you know better by now, Miss Oswald?" Lexi questioned her. "We don't walk away. We don't abandon people who need us."

"Of course you don't." Clara said in understanding. "But you've been protecting this town for over three hundred years. Do you not think it's anybody else's go yet?"

"That's what we were supposed help with." Jupiter said, pointing at herself and Sky. "We were only gone for a few minutes, and we've come back three hundred years later."

Lucas winced. "Yeah. Really, very sorry about that."

"Look, it doesn't matter. What's done is done." The Doctor shook his head. "The point is, there's no one else to protect it."

"I hate to be even more of a mood-killer here." Sky chimed in. "But, Dad... It can't be you and Mum forever. It's going to end the same way whatever you do."

"You should know by now, Sky, that every life we save is a victory. Every single one." Lexi told her son. "Yes, your father and I would have liked for you and your sister to help us. But that didn't mean we wanted you to stay forever. You deserve to go off and have lives of your own. You both still have so much left in you."

"What about your lives?" Clara snapped. "Just for once, after all this time, have you not earned the right to think about that?"

"Look, none of us should be arguing right now." Lucas cut in. "We shouldn't be having an argument at all."

The Doctor shook his head, smiling slightly. "Oh, we've been having that argument for the last three hundred years all by ourselves."

"But you didn't have your TARDIS." Clara pointed out.

"Ah." The Doctor chuckled softly. "Yes, well, that made it easier to stay. True."

"Doctor! Glorious!"

Lexi looked up at the sound of Tasha's voice and rumbling thunder. "Well, look who decided to wake up!"

Tasha's hologram appeared in the sky above them. "The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified."

"We'll Be right up." The Doctor told her.

"I'm sending a transporter."

"Nah, don't bother. We've got our motor back."

Lucas then looked around, as if realizing something. "It's gone dark."

"Very observant, Mister Harper." Lexi pat him on the back. "The sun's gone down."

"Already?"

"Nothing lasts forever." The Doctor shook his head. "Everything ends. And sooner than you think."


	71. Time of the Doctor and the Glorious: 4

_Outside, Town, Night_...

As the time twins and companions entered the TARDIS, Lexi smiled, seeing a small hand poking out from behind the TARDIS. "Are you guarding our TARDIS, Barnable?"

He looked up shyly. "Are you coming back?"

"Oh, you know us." The Doctor said, walking up beside Lexi as they looked down at the young boy.

Lexi smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Bet you can answer your own question."

Barnable smiled. "I'll wait."

Lexi grinned, ruffling the boy's hair before she and the Doctor walked back around the TARDIS to go inside.

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Audience chamber_...

"She hasn't aged much." Clara whispered as the six of them approached Tasha.

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "She's against aging."

"I, on the other hand, handle it with grace." Lexi straightened, flicking her greying red hair over her shoulder.

"Approach." Tasha ordered.

The six of them did as the Silents all around them hissed. "Confess..."

Lucas frowned. "What are those things?"

"Confess..."

"Basically, confessional priests." Jupiter answered, recalling when they all had first arrived at the Papal Mainframe. "They're genetically engineered so you forget everything you told them."

Lucas looked to Jupiter, then blinked. "Told who?"

"There you go." Lexi pat his shoulder.

 _Inside, Papal Mainframe, Tasha's chambers_...

The Doctor and Lexi sat at one end of a large table as their children and companions sat along the sides, Tasha placing a large box in front of them. The Doctor took a look inside, his eyes widening.

"Satisfactory?" Tasha asked.

"I believe he's looking for the pink ones." Lexi said, taking a look inside the box herself.

"E-numbers." Tasha shook her head. "You're hyper enough as it is."

"So, this is sweet." Clara raised an eyebrow. "Middle of a siege, and you have little chats?"

"She's right." Tasha told them. "This situation cannot continue."

"I can't end either." Lexi pointed out before popping a marshmallow into her mouth.

Tasha frowned. "Why did you ever come to Trenzalore."

"Well, we did come to Trenzalore, and nothing can change that now." The Doctor told her. "Didn't stop you trying, though, did it?"

"Not me." Tasha shook her head. "The Kovarian Chapter broke away. They traveled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you ever reaching Trenzalore."

He scoffed. "So that's who blew up my TARDIS. I thought I'd left the bath running."

"They blew up your time capsule, created the very cracks in the universe through which the Time Lords are now calling."

"It's like a destiny trap." Lexi muttered before glancing at the Doctor. "You can't change history if you're part of it."

Tasha looked to Lexi. "They engineered a psychopath to kill your husband and prevent your children from ever existing."

The Doctor smirked, glancing at Lexi. "I miss our niece." He then looked back to Tasha. "We would never have made it here alive without River Song."

"I'm not interested in changing history, Couple of Time." Tasha frowned. "I want to change the future. The Daleks send for reinforcements daily. They are massing for war." She said as she sat at the other end of the table, leaning forward in her seat. "Three days ago, they attacked the Mainframe itself."

Lexi blinked. "They attacked here?"

"How did you stop them." Sky asked.

"Stop them?" Tasha shook her head. "It was slaughter."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you call me and the Glorious? We could have helped."

"I tried. I died in this room, screaming your name."

Jupiter blinked. "What?"

"No." Lexi breathed in horror.

"Oh." Tasha blinked. "I died." She chuckled bitterly. "It's funny, the things that slip your mind." She then gasped, her head falling to the table.

"No." The Doctor ran over to her. "No, no, no, Tasha, no, please, not Tasha! No, fight it! Tasha, fight it!"

There was a cracking sound as Tasha raised her head, a Dalek eyestalk growing from her forehead. Lexi and the time twins were on their feet immediately when real Daleks entered the room.

"Step away from the Dalek unit, Doctor." One of the Daleks said.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, turning around. "You shouldn't even know who I am."

"Information concerning the Doctor and the Glorious was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem."

"But she never told you how to break the Trenzalore forcefield, though." He smirked. "She'd have died first."

"Several times." Another Dalek said.

"Well, you'd better kill me then. Go on. But before you do..." He used his sonic, making the question Doctor who? resonate throughout as Tasha slowly stood from her seat. "I'm a tough old bird. I'll be ages dying. Way enough time to answer a question. And, oh dear, what happens then, boys?"

"Don't you dare." Sky growled, quickly grabbing Clara and pulling her back before Tasha could get an arm around her neck; Jupiter doing the same with Lucas when another Dalek was approaching him.

Jupiter narrowed her eyes. "You will not harm either one of them."

"You see, Tasha? Those are my children." The Doctor pointed at Sky and Jupiter. "They are the kind of people the Glorious and I raised them to be. And you," He pointed at Tasha. "I always knew you were a bit spineless, you and your pointless church. Why did I ever rely on you? Never trust a nun to do a Doctor's work!"

Tasha suddenly spun around and slapped him, then proceeded to blast the Daleks.

Lucas blinked. "Plot twist."

"And she's back!" The Doctor laughed in relief as the eyestalk retreated back into Tasha's forehead. "You never could resist a row."

Lexi laughed, walking over. "Tasha, can you get us back to the TARDIS?"

"Yes, but quickly." She nodded as they all began heading for her confessional teleport booths. "The Dalek inside me is waking."

"Fight it."

"I can't."

"Listen to us." The Doctor said as he and Lexi stepped into one of the booths. "You have been fighting the psychopath inside you all your life. So shut up and win. That is an order, Tasha Lem."

She nodded, as the time twins and companions got into the other teleport booth. "The forcefield will hold for a while, but it will decay, and there are breaches already."

"Then this isn't a siege anymore. It's a war" The Doctor took a deep breath. "It's all up to you now. Fight the Daleks, inside and out. You can do it, I know you can."

Tasha narrowed her eyes. "Oh, I see. You've got your TARDIS back, haven't you? Time to fly away."

"Tasha, please..." Lexi interrupted her. "Please... Thank you."

"None of this was for you, or your fatuous egotist of a husband." She spat. "It was for the peace. Fly away, Couple of Time!"

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

As the TARDIS landed, another bell went off, and Jupiter looked up from one of the monitors on the console. "It's done."

"What is?" Lucas asked.

"The turkey you and Clara were having trouble with." Lexi chimed in.

"Either that, or it's woken up." The Doctor added.

Clara laughed. "Do you want some?"

"Go on, then." The Doctor sighed.

"Have you got any plates?" Lucas wondered.

"You know, I think we've even got Christmas crackers." Lexi grinned.

Clara paused, about to go get the turkey, but stopped and turned to look at the Doctor and Lexi. "One thing. Give me those big sad eyes, look at me so I know you're not lying, and tell me you will never send us away ever again."

Lucas pointed a finger at Sky and Jupiter. "And that you will not aid in trying to send us away ever again."

"Clara Oswald and Lucas Harper, " Lexi began, giving them a small smile.

"We will never send you away again." The Doctor finished, giving them a nod.

"And we will not help." Sky added, nodding.

Clara grinned at him before then running down to check on the Turkey. "Lucas, a hand?"

Lucas smiled and went after his friend. "It smells great." He remarked.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded, but he was looking at Barnable right outside on the monitor as Lexi was giving their children a hug. "Smells good."

"Perfect!" Clara cheered.

The Doctor went and gave Sky and Jupiter hugs as Lexi took the cylindrical device back out of her pocket and inserted it into one of the charger slots on the console. The Couple of Time then headed out of the TARDIS as their children went and shut the doors after they had left.

 _Under the console, With Clara and Lucas_...

Clara came up with Lucas, carrying the Turkey. "Merry Christmas!" She smiled, only to freeze when she saw the Family of Time wasn't there.

"Glorious? Doctor?" Lucas looked around. "Jupiter? Sky?"

The two friends shared a look, going to the doors and stepping outside.

 _Outside, Block, Day_...

Clara and Lucas again found themselves outside Clara's block of flats, Clara's eyes filling with tears.

Lucas spun around to be met with Jupiter and Sky standing on either side of the TARDIS. Lucas tried to make a run for the TARDIS as it began to dematerialize, but was tackled to the ground by Jupiter as Sky held Clara back, helping her hold onto the pan so she wouldn't drop the turkey.

Lucas looked up at Jupiter with wide eyes as she laid on top of him. "What have you done?"

Jupiter breathed in, glancing back to see the TARDIS completely disappear. "Saved you."

Sky took his arms from around Clara once the TARDIS was completely gone. "We saved you both, therefore trapping ourselves."

 _Outside, Town, Night_...

Barnable watched with the Doctor and Lexi as the TARDIS rematerialized on Trenzalore. "If you're not leaving, why did you bring it back?"

"It's a reminder." The Doctor answered as he grabbed Lexi's hand, giving it a squeeze as they began walking away from the young boy, Lexi's emerald green coat lightly blowing in the night breeze. "Besides, we might leave tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that."

"But before that," Lexi called over her shoulder. "if you need us, you know where to find us."

 **~o0o~**

" _And so, to the fields of Trenzalore came all the Time Lords' enemies. For this was the winter of the Doctor. In time, when all other races had retreated or burned, only the Church of the Mainframe remained in the path of the Daleks._ "

 **~o0o~**

 _Outside, Town_...

The Daleks rolled forward into the town, chanting their favorite word. Lexi held up her cane she now had to use, having adapted it into a sonic cane, using the laser setting to fire at the Daleks. The Doctor walked alongside her, twirling his own cane as legions of the Silence marched behind them.

 **~o0o~**

" _And so those ancient enemies, the Doctor, the Glorious and the Silence, stood back-to-back on the fields of Trenzalore._ "


	72. Time of the Doctor and the Glorious: FIN

_Inside, Clara's flat, Kitchen_...

"You know we're incredibly upset with you." Clara stated before taking a long drink from her wine glass as she and Lucas sat on the floor of her kitchen, backs against the counter doors, both of them having heard enough from their families still in the sitting room.

"Kinda figured after you smacked me on the back of the head." Sky responded before taking a drink from his own wine glass as he and Jupiter sat on the floor across from them.

"She promised." Lucas muttered, running a hand through his hair. "You all promised not to send us away."

"And we lied." Jupiter said. "It's what we do. We're a family of liars. But we did it to keep you safe. I mean, hell, me and Sky trapped ourselves here." She pointed at Lucas and Clara. "For you."

"You have Vortex Manipulators." Clara pointed out, grabbing the wine bottle she had sitting on the floor next to her before refilling her glass.

"We left them in the TARDIS." Sky replied.

"I wish you hadn't."

Lucas mumbled into his wine glass.

"I kinda wish we hadn't either." Jupiter smiled sadly, looking down at her lap.

"What's all this gloomy energy in here?" Margo asked as she entered the kitchen. "It's Christmas."

Lucas looked up at his mother's voice. "Mum, please..."

"I just came to see if you were okay." She told them. "You all seemed pretty down just a bit ago."

"We just... are sad because some friends of ours aren't coming." Clara told her, picking out her words carefully. "They're not able to."

"These must be some pretty important friends if they've got all of you this sad." Margo remarked, frowning as she looked around at the four of them.

"Oh, they are." Sky sighed, downing what was left in his glass. "But, there's nothing we can do about it."

Margo smiled. "Oh, but I think there is."

"What do you suggest we do then, Mother?" Lucas asked, glancing up at her.

"If something is this important to you," She began. "to all four of you, you shouldn't give it up. Go find your friends. Talk to them. See what it is you can do to get them to come around."

"Easier said then done." Jupiter muttered.

"Is it?" Margo raised an eyebrow just before a familiar wheezing noise was heard.

The Twins of Time and the Impossibles snapped to attention before all of them scrambled to their feet, rushing past Margo as they ran out of the kitchen, Clara snatching a pack of crackers off the counter as they went.

"Hm." Margo tilted her head, now standing alone in the kitchen. "I wonder what that could be about..."

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The quartet rushed into the TARDIS, stopping when they didn't see the Doctor and Lexi inside. Instead, it was Tasha.

"You can fly the TARDIS?" Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Flying the TARDIS was always easy." She nodded. "Only the Glorious could master flying the Doctor."

"What happened to them?" Sky demanded.

Tasha just gestured for him and Jupiter to help her fly the TARDIS, Lucas and Clara watching as they did so.

 _Outside, Town, Night_...

When they all emerged from the TARDIS and onto the streets, they found everything up in flames.

"What are we supposed to do?" Lucas looked around helplessly.

"They shouldn't die alone." Tasha answered, calling over her shoulder as she walked off. "Go to them."

Sky and Jupiter shared a look before the two of them bolted towards the church, Lucas and Clara running after them.

 _Inside, Church, Basement_...

Jupiter and Sky rushed down the down stairs, Clara and Lucas close behind, all of them taking in the sight of the basement and how the walls were still covered with drawings, new ones covering old ones. There was a rasping sound, the group of four stopping when they saw an elderly couple sitting in chairs, one of them whittling a wooden toy as the other worked on finishing knitting a pair of TARDIS blue fingerless gloves.

"Barnable?" An old man's voice asked when he heard the newcomers.

"Not quite." Jupiter said softly, making the old man drop the toy before he turned his head as the old woman next to him stopped knitting before turning her head to look for herself.

The Twins of Time and the Impossibles looked on at the Couple of Time, the Doctor now with thin grey hair and wrinkles, and Lexi with wrinkles of her own and grey hair save for a single streak of red.

The Doctor looked at them in surprise. "Were you always so young?"

"Nah." Clara shook her head with a tearful smile. "That was you."

Lexi gave them a small smile. "Come here, you lot."

Not hesitating, Jupiter and Clara went and wrapped their arms around the Doctor as Sky and Lucas went and wrapped their arms around Lexi, all of them just happy to see each other again.

 _Soon after_...

"I can't believe you still have a bit of your red hair." Lucas chuckled as he and Sky sat on the floor in front Lexi's chair.

She laughed lightly, twirling her single streak of red hair around her finger. "Yeah, well... I've always been stubborn."

"Oh, we know." Jupiter smiled slightly from where she and Clara sat on the floor in front of the Doctor's chair.

Clara smiled sadly before she and the Doctor took separate ends of the cracker pack she had brought. "Merry Christmas."

They pulled at the same time, then Jupiter reached and took hold of her father's hand to help him.

"I've got you, Dad." She smiled, and together, they pulled the cracker pack apart.

"Ah!" The Doctor smiled as Sky leaned over to them and picked up the paper that fell to the floor. "Is there a joke? Huh?"

"Extract from _Thoughts On A Clock_ by Eric Ritchie Jr." Sky tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the small piece of paper.

"Is it a knock knock one? Those are the best."

"I don't think so."

"Well, read it. Go on."

Sky read it over, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion before reading it aloud. "' _And now it's time for one last bow like all your other selves. The first of eleven's hour is over now. The clock is striking the second of twelve's._ '"

Jupiter tilted her head as she gave her parents a good, long look. This was her father's Eleventh regeneration. And her mother... she had never regenerated before. She was the First Glorious. And with the way things were looking, it seemed she would end up being the only Glorious there would ever be. No Second would rise in her place...

"I don't get it." The Doctor finally said.

"Doctor! Glorious!" A Dalek voice shouted from outside. "The Doctor will be brought! The Daleks demand the Couple of Time!"

"They're here." A young man panted as he ran down the stairs. "The Daleks, we can't stop them. They want you."

"Oh, alright, Barnable." The Doctor waved him off, then paused. "Are you Barnable?"

"No, Doctor." He shook his head.

"It's okay, Barnable, don't worry. I have got a plan. Off you pop."

Lexi sighed as the young man ran out. "I may be over nine hundred years old now, but my mind's still good enough to know that we don't actually have a plan, dearie."

"But people love it when we say that." The Doctor pointed out.

"So what are you going to do?" Lucas asked nervously.

"Oh, I don't know." The Doctor sighed as he slowly stood from his chair. "Talk very fast, hope something good happens, take the credit. That's generally how it works."

"Doctor -" Clara began.

"Sky, help your mother up." Lexi said, cutting Clara off as she stuffed her now finished knitted TARDIS blue fingerless gloves into one of the pockets of her emerald green coat.

"Er... Yeah, yeah." Sky said before quickly going and grabbing Lexi's hand and arm to help her get to her feet.

"It won't happen this time, though." Lexi said, adding on to the Doctor's previous statement, using her cane to walk with the Doctor to the stairs. "This is it. For the Doctor... And for me."

"No!" Lucas shook his head desperately.

"Yes." Lexi insisted, glancing back at him. "All of us here, we all saw the future. This is how it ends."

"Change it." Jupiter finally begged, breaking her resolve, her voice cracking.

"Sorry, Jupiter dear, but we can't." The Doctor said as he and Lexi headed for the stairs.

"Like Tasha said, change the future!"

"You know, I could have once, when there were other Time Lords. More than the four that are standing in this room." The Doctor shook his head. "Not this time, though. Not anymore."

"Now, all of you, stay here." Lexi told them. "One last victory. Allow the Doctor and I that." She looked to her children. "Allow me and your father that."

Jupiter brushed a few tears away before going and crushing her mother in a hug. "I love you, Mum."

Trying not to cry, Lexi pat her daughter's back. "I love you, too, my dearest Jupiter."

Jupiter cleared her throat, stepping away from her mother and giving her father one last hug before walking backwards to stand beside Sky, Clara and Lucas again.

"And you know, the trouble with Daleks is," The Doctor began as he and Lexi started up the stairs. "they take so long to say anything."

"We'll probably die of boredom before they shoot us." Lexi scoffed, rolling her eyes as she used her cane to follow the Doctor up the stairs.

Jupiter choked out a sob, a hand over her mouth as Sky came and wrapped his arms around, his eyes never leaving the crack in the wall.

"We shouldn't let this happen." Lucas whispered before his gaze drifted over to the crack in the wall, his eyes narrowed before he turned to face it fully as Sky and Jupiter watched. "We can't let this happen."

Sky suddenly took his arms from Jupiter before storming over to the crack, bending down by it. "Alright, you lot, listen to me, and listen good." He narrowed his eyes. "Help them. I don't care if you haven't really met my mother. I don't care if she or the Doctor, my father, won't answer your damned question. I may not know the answer, but they do. And they would tell you you've been getting it wrong."

"Our father helps people." Jupiter spoke up, walking up next to her brother, pressing her hands against the wall above the crack as she spoke into it. "Our mother helps keep him sane while helping defend all the people that are ever in danger. The universe would be in shambles had they not worked together to be what they are now."

"His name is the Doctor." Clara added as she quickly walked up on the other side of Sky, putting her hands next to his above the crack. "He helps people. So it's all the name he needs."

"And she's called the Glorious." Lucas said, walking up on the other side of Jupiter, putting a hand on her shoulder while putting his other one on the wall above the crack. "She defends the ones who can't defend themselves. She is a former human turned Time Lady. There has never been anyone like her before."

"They are the Couple of Time." Sky said softly, bowing his head and leaning it against the wall. "A universe without them, is not a safe universe."

"It's not even that safe with them in it." Jupiter added. "But they balance everything out."

"They helped save you and Gallifrey." Clara said, gently running fingertips over the edges of the crack. "You wouldn't be alive had it not been for them."

"And you wouldn't be here, asking for their help." Lucas stated, lightly drumming his fingers against the wall.

"If there is ever going to be any chance for you, at all, you're going to need them." Sky added.

Jupiter leaned her head against the wall, tears streaming down her face. "They are the Doctor and the Glorious. And after everything they've done to help everyone else, this is their time. So help them... Get off your arses, and help them."

With that, the Twins of Time and the Impossibles all stood up straight, all of them taking a collective breath as they turned away from the crack in the wall.

However, the quartet abruptly turned back at a loud cracking sound, just catching sight of the crack as it closed up.

 _Outside, Church, Belfry_...

"Sorry!" The Doctor called as he reached the top of the bell-tower, Lexi close behind. "We're a bit slow. May not be at our best right now."

"You are dying, Couple of Time." The Dalek on the mothership declared.

"Of course we're dying!" Lexi snapped, leaning heavily on her cane. "Look at us, ha! A man you've been trying to kill for centuries. And me, a woman who you easily could have killed had I still been human like I was over nine hundred twenty-seven years ago! But here we both are, dying of old age." She smirked. "Word of advice, if you want something done, do it yourself."

"You will die, and the Time Lords will never return."

The Doctor scoffed. "All this time, and you still can't work up the courage to shoot us, can you?" He pointed his cane angrily at the Dalek ship. "You can't push past the worry that we've got something up our sleeves!"

"Just do us favor already. Knock yourselves out, overgrown salt and pepper shakers." Lexi bowed her head chuckling bitterly, holding onto her cane with both hands. "We've got nothing."

 _Outside, Town_...

Sky, Clara, Jupiter and Lucas all rushed out of the church and down the steps, all of them looking around in horror as flying Daleks began swooping down over the ground, firing rapidly in every direction.

 _Outside, Church, Belfry_...

The Doctor and Lexi sat down dejectedly, both of them knowing there was really nothing they could do at this point. They were really too old for this now.

However...

...A bright light suddenly appeared in the sky, making the Doctor and Lexi shield their eyes for a moment until their eyes actually adjusted and they were able to see that the bright light was actually the crack in the universe.

The Doctor tilted his head, raising a finger as he opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't as golden energy suddenly filled his mouth. He looked over to see Lexi's eyes wide as the same golden energy swirled all around her and seeped into her skin before also flying into her mouth.

Lexi made a face at the taste. "What the hell is that?"

The Doctor chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh, glorious Pond... You're only just beginning."

Wide eyed, Lexi slowly lifted her hands in front of her face, watching as they began glowing. "I..." Breathing heavily, she looked over at the Doctor. "What...?"

The Doctor just grinned, looking down and watching his own hands glow as the Dalek spoke again. "You will die now, Doctor. This is the end of you and your wife. She has no life left in her. And your rules of regeneration are known. You have expended all you lives."

"Sorry, what did you say?" The Doctor smirked, standing up as the crack in the sky snapped shut and disappeared. "Did you mention the rules?"

"And how dare you say I have no life left in me!" Lexi scowled, throwing her cane aside as she sprung to her feet, feeling invigorated. "Another word of advice, Daleks. You don't ever tell us the rules!"

"Emergency!" The Dalek shouted as the Doctor and Lexi grinned madly, raising their clasped hands together, their golden energies mixing with each other. "Emergency! The Doctor and the Glorious are regenerating! The Doctor and the Glorious are regenerating!"

"Oh, look at this!" The Doctor laughed as the clock struck twelve behind them. "Regeneration number thirteen. We're breaking some serious science here, boys! I tell you what, it's going to be a whopper!"

"Exterminate!" The Dalek shouted, the Daleks starting to soar back around. "Exterminate the Couple of Time!"

"You think you can stop us now, Daleks? We're just getting started!" The Doctor taunted. "So if you want our lives, ha! Come and get them!"

He wound his arm and aimed at one of the Daleks, his regeneration energy shooting out and making it explode.

 _Outside, Town_...

"Come on, get inside!" Jupiter shouted as she, Lucas, Sky and Clara quickly began ushering the townspeople off the streets and into the church as the Daleks continued to attack.

 _Outside, Church, Belfry_...

As another couple of Daleks soared in from the other side. Lexi raised her other hand determinedly, her eyes flashing gold as golden energy swirled within them, her own regeneration energy taking them out. "Love from Leadworth, baby!" She called out.

"Love from Gallifrey, boys!" The Doctor exclaimed, grinning.

Together, the Doctor and Lexi threw their heads back as they regenerated entirely, their combined regeneration energies taking out the Dalek mothership, along with every other Dalek on Trenzalore.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, this really does feel likes it's coming to an end too soon.  
**

 **However, there is still to come the one thing I know everyone is waiting for. *grins***

 **Our beautiful Gloronimo is almost over. But, their successors will be no less amazing. I just know it.**

 **Who's ready to find out the actress that's going to be taking on the role of Lexi Pond 2.0/The 2nd Glorious alongside Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor?! 😁**

 **The epilogue is next...**

 **See y'all then!**

 **💋 _Love always,_**

 _ **~Maddy**_


	73. 12:02 (Epilogue)

**A/N: And here we go...**

 **The fall of the Eleventh and the fall of the First. But the Twelfth and Second are rising!**

 **The next Couple of Time is a-coming...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Outside, Town, Night_...

When the explosions died down, Sky cautiously opened the door to the church, poking his head out to see fires crackling in the street. Once he was sure that it was safe enough, he opened the doors wider to let the townspeople out.

"Glorious?" Lucas called, looking around as he, Jupiter and Clara emerged from the church.

"Doctor?" Clara called out as she, Lucas and the time twins walked down the front steps of the church, all of them looking around for the TARDIS.

Jupiter turned and looked up at the bell-tower, seeing what little remained of the belfry.

"There." Sky got their attention, pointing before all of them rushed for the TARDIS, Clara stopping when they saw the outside phone dangling off its hook. She replaced it, then took a deep breath before she, a nervous Lucas, and an anxious pair of time twins all stepped inside. None of them sure of what they might find.

 _Inside, TARDIS, Console room_...

The quartet entered slowly, Sky closing the door behind them.

Jupiter chuckled softly as she walked up to the console, seeing two bowls of nearly finished fish fingers and custard. "Dad always said that this was the first thing he ever ate, and liked, on the night he met Mum."

"Peculiar choice." Lucas remarked quietly, wrinkling his nose slightly when he saw the unusual snack.

Clara looked around the floor as Sky walked up next to her, both of them taking note of the various articles of clothing of the Doctor and Lexi's that were strewn about. All four of them then turned when they suddenly heard footsteps.

The Doctor and Lexi came up the stairs, both of them looking much better than they had been earlier. Both of them de-aged and back in their regular clothes that would fit their younger looking bodies.

"Doctor!" Clara breathed in relief. "Glorious!"

"Hello." They waved.

"You're both young again." Clara examined them. "You're okay."

"And you didn't even change your faces." Lucas smiled slightly.

Sky narrowed his eyes. "You should have, though."

"Nothing gets past you." The Doctor gave him a small smile. "It's started. We can't stop it now. These are just the resets."

"We made sure of it." Lexi added, absentmindedly fidgeting with her wedding ring. "And, as it turns out, the Time Lords didn't just give the Doctor a new regeneration cycle. They granted me one as well. It's all very... new."

"We're stuck with each other, Lex." The Doctor smiled at her before finishing up his fish fingers and custard, their children and companions watching them closely. "Taking a bit longer. Just breaking it in. Oh, oh, gah!" He winced, activating the TARDIS engines. He paused, then chuckled. "It all just disappears, doesn't it? Everything you are, gone in a moment, like breath on a mirror. Any moment now, they're a-coming."

"Who's coming?" Clara asked.

"The Doctor and the Glorious." Lexi answered with a sad smile, flipping a switch and wincing in discomfort.

"But you..." Lucas breathed, realizing what was happening as Clara put a hand over her mouth with tears in her eyes while Sky and Jupiter looked on at their parents, both of them finally putting it all together. "You are the Doctor and the Glorious."

"Yep, And we always will be." The Doctor confirmed, reaching out to take Lexi's hand, turning them over and watching as their regeneration energies mingled together. "But, times change, and so must we." He blinked, hearing a child's laugh, then he looked up to see two young, red-headed girls running up the stairs together. "Amelia? Alexis?" He breathed.

"Who are Amelia and Alexis?" Clara looked behind her.

"Haven't you heard, Clara?" Lexi chuckled, tears brimming her eyes. "My birth name is Alexis. And Amelia was my twin sister. You saw a picture of us in the Black Archive."

"The first faces this face saw." The Doctor smiled sadly, glancing at Lexi. "And look how far we've come."

Lexi smiled back at him before looking back to her children, Lucas and Clara. "So many years ago, in a little English village called Leadworth, I met a man who fell from the stars. At the time, I had no idea just how much he would change my life." She sniffled, wiping her tears away. "I didn't know... all the wonders that existed. Not until he showed me." She grabbed the Doctor's hand. "He took me and we ran. We ran and ran and haven't stopped. We might've slowed down at one point to take a breather and focus on what was truly important to us."

"But then, after a while," The Doctor continued, giving Lexi's hand a squeeze. "we started running again."

"The thing is, though, when you run, you see all these... amazing things." Lexi shook her head at the thought. "And they change you."

"Then again, we all change, when you think about it." The Doctor nodded, sniffling as Lexi went over to hug their children tightly, Jupiter already sobbing and Sky trying desperately not to cry. "We're all different people all through our lives. And that's okay. That's good. You've got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be."

"You never forget what you leave behind." Lexi brushed one of the tears off her daughter's face while putting her other hand to her son's cheek. "Without that, you wouldn't get to where you're supposed to be."

"And that's where we are." The Doctor agreed as he, too, went to hug his children, Lexi going to hug a shellshocked Lucas and Clara. "We are where we're meant to be. Where we were always meant to be."

"I don't think I will ever forget a single moment of this. I don't think I can." Lexi said as she stepped away from the Impossibles. "Because this body, this... me, is the me who became who she was meant to be. Who she was destined to be from her very first moment in existence. The me that became the Glorious."

"And this is the me that got to see all of that happen." The Doctor smiled as he stood by Lexi again. "We will not forget one line of this. Not one day." He promised. "We will always remember when the Doctor and the Glorious were us."

Lexi blinked, slowly turning her head to the side when she heard a pair of approaching footsteps, her eyes widening when she saw who it was. She let out a giggle. "Of course you would show up."

Rory smiled at her, putting a hand to the side of her face. "We never got to say goodbye... So that is what this is."

Lexi sniffled, opening her mouth to say something, but Rory just put a finger her lips before gently turning her head towards the stairs, his touch disappearing as the vision of him vanished.

Lexi's eyes widened even more when she saw who was walking down the steps. "Doctor."

The Doctor turned around, his own eyes going wide at the sight of a very familiar someone. Amy just smiled at the two, stopping right in front of them.

"Raggedy Man." She smiled, reaching up to cup the side of his face before her gaze went to Lexi. She smiled at her, putting a hand to side of her face. "Dearest sister."

Amy gave them one last look before whispering. "Goodnight."

And just like that, the last touch of Amy Pond disappeared as the vision of her vanished.

The Doctor and Lexi exchanged glances, the Doctor then untying his bow tie and letting it fall to the floor while Lexi removed her emerald green waterfall Duster coat and neatly folded it before laying it on a chair.

"No, no." Clara cried, watching as Lexi winced in pain first.

"Hey," The Doctor began.

"Please, don't change!" Clara begged.

Gloronimo just gave last smiles before the Doctor stumbled backwards, Lexi letting out a pain-filled shout as she toppled...

...Only for the Twelfth Doctor to grab her hand with his and her waist with the other before pulling her up.

"Lex?" He asked in a Scottish burr, his now piercing blue eyes looking down into her now one ice blue eye and one emerald green eye in concern.

Lexi Pond 2.0, or the Second Glorious, breathed heavily, blinking rapidly as she put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself while shaking her shoulder-length, light blonde hair our of her face. She looked up at him, like really actually had to look up at him since she was now only the height of about 5'5".

"Doctor?" She whispered before blinking as she heard how she now sounded. "Oh, no... I've..." She made a face. "I've gone English... Oh, why did I have to go English?!"

He couldn't help but smile widely at her. "Glorious Pond." He told her, Lexi slowly starting to smile wider...

...Only to cry out in pain as she doubled over. The Doctor bent over to help, only to groan. "Kidneys!" He winced as Sky and Jupiter jerked out of their stupors from seeing their parents regenerate for the first time before running over to help, Clara and Lucas still frozen in place. "I've got new kidneys! I don't like the color!"

"Of... your kidneys?" Lucas asked uneasily.

The TARDIS suddenly started jostling about, Lexi stumbling back, groaning as she landed against Sky, said man grabbing her by the shoulders to steady her.

"What's happening?" Clara asked as she grabbed onto the railing.

"Oh, the usual." Jupiter threw her hands up. "Crashing!"

Lucas raised his eyebrows, clutching onto the railing next to Clara. "Into what?"

"Stay calm." The Doctor ran over to the TARDIS, looking over the controls before pausing. "Just one question." He looked up. "Does anyone happen to know how to fly this thing?"

Jupiter just huffed, rolling her eyes before flipping a lever, making the TARDIS shudder.

Lexi blinked as she held onto Sky for support, then began grinning at her husband in utter delight. Sky looked at his mother's face before looking over to his father to see him smiling the same way. He then looked over to his sister, both of them gradually beginning to smile as well. Their parents, the Doctor and the Glorious, the Couple of Time, were still alive. Just as they were meant to be.

And they couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's that.**

 **We have reached the end of our original Couple of Time's journey. However, we now have a new Couple of Time who I'm sure will end up being no less loved. ️**

 **Time for the farewell and the hello...**

~o0o~

 **Goodbye, 11th Doctor [Matt Smith] and Lexi Pond 1.0 [Karen Gillan – A.k.a. The 1st and original Glorious]. There are no words that can accurately express just how much you will both be missed. After all, The Glorious Series did begin with the two of you.**

 **I don't think it will ever be possible to forget about all the adventures you two had with each other. You were the faces of the Doctor and the Glorious that fell in love with each other. You were the faces that ran away together. You were the faces that built a family together. You were the faces that lost Amy and Rory together. You were the faces that figured out why Lucas and Clara were your Impossibles. And you are the faces that no one will ever forget. Farewell, Gloronimo. You will be very dearly and truly missed.**

~o0o~

 **I want to cry now (not that I haven't been already).**

 **As sad I am to say goodbye to Gloronimo (and that is very, very sad), I am also very happy to welcome the new Couple of Time aboard the TARDIS.**

 **So...**

~o0o~

 **Introducing... PETER CAPALDI as the 12th Doctor and ALICE EVE as Lexi Pond 2.0/the 2nd Glorious!**

 ** _Evaldi_ has arrived, everyone! **

~o0o~

 **You have no idea how excited I've been to get to these two. I've had Alice picked out as Lexi 2.0 since the early part of series six. When I was looking for face-claims, I came across her and, for some reason, I was able to picture her with 12 so well. I think they are going to be absolutely amazing together. It's also pretty cool that Alice has two different colored eyes, one blue and one green.**

 **I hope that you will end up loving these two as much as I do. Gloronimo ended up flirting a quite a lot. But Evaldi's level of flirting will be a bit more subtle, I think.**

 **I'm just so excited for them!**

 **Oh! And I almost forgot...**

 **It gives me great pleasure to say that the 12th Doctor and the 2nd Glorious will be making their official debut in " _Deep Breath_ " when _The Glorious Series_ returns with...**

️

️

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️

️

️

️

️

️

️

️

️

" ** _THE STARS OF TIME_** "

 **COMING SOON!**

 **Who's excited?!**

 ** _Evaldi_ has landed, people!**

 ** _Gloronimo_ may be gone, but you can bet that _Evaldi_ are going to be badass.**

 **I'll post one last update to this book to let y'all know when I've published Book 3.**

 **Until then!**

 _ **Love always,**_

 _ **~Maddy**_


	74. SEQUEL!

Hello, lovelies!

This is the last update this book is gonna get because I'm here to tell y'all that the _Dying Embers_ sequel ( ** _The Stars of Time_** ) is up and running!

I have one introductory chapter up, which is the summary for series 8. I think y'all should definitely go take a look at it...

Anyway, I'm going to start work on the prologue for " _The Stars of Time_ " today and hope to have it published for y'all as soon as I can. ️

Anyway...

Go! Read! Enjoy!

And for the last time in this book...

 ** _💋 Love always,_**

 ** _~Maddy_**


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